Hero's Beginning
by UncreativeCreatvity
Summary: The Star Ocean Gang is recovering from the recent Luther Crisis. But everyone is soon sucked in again, as a new threat wants to use Maria and Fayt's powers. The question is...will they survive it? picks up from Fayt/Maria ending. Main Pairing:Fayt/Maria
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Star Ocean, their Square Enix's problems.

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A/N: Hey peoples, uhh this is my first ever fan fic so be harsh..please. So without further ado, I present to you...

**Prologue: Aftermath**

About a week after Luther, the Creator's destruction…Oct. 5th, SD 772

….On board the Diplo; the huge Quark Flagship. It was currently cruising through the Klaus System. The low hum of the sublight engines carried it delicately through space.

In the Captain's quarters, on the Diplo, two blue-haired youths about 19 years old sat in silence on board the ship. The cool metallic walls were still and there was no noise in the cabin except one of the teens as the female hastily worked.

The female had silky cerulean-blue hair. It lay at her shoulders, as her Azure eyes examined the screen. She had a beautiful face with smooth skin with no wrinkles; she had an almost flawless face. She wore a Quark suit with high collars and long sleeves. The suit was armored at the abdominals. She had a small waist where a half skirt hung delicately.

The blue-haired male who wore a simple vest and blue leg armors examined her friend with his green eyes. He watched as she worked intently and he let out a short sigh. "She's overdoing it again..." he thought, as he scratched his head.

"Maria…" the boy said.

"Yes Fayt?" she asked without even turning to glance at him. She plowed on through her precious work.

Fayt was silent for a moment. Then he replied, "You're overdoing it again!" he exclaimed impatiently. "Besides they expect you on the bridge and…" he stopped right there. He wanted to say that he really worried about her sometimes, but he considered it. "...and Mirage said there was something important she needed to tell you!" he finished.

Maria shut off the computer screen and stood up. "Fine, you win," she said.

Fayt suddenly had a big grin on his face, "Race 'ya?" he asked. Before he finished his sentence he was already out the door.

"Grrr, Fayt come back here!!" she yelled, bolting out the door. "I'm gonna kill you!!" she teased playfully.

"You gotta catch me to kill me!!" Fayt yelled back. He reached the bridge door and watched as Maria stormed down the hall. "Haha I win," he teased and gave her a big smile.

"Fayt's smile is so warm…" she thought. "Jerk!" she yelled as she playfully punched him on the arm.

"Oww!! Oh now it's on!!" he yelled as they began playfully fighting. Maria laughed and giggled as Fayt tickled her.

"Hey you two get a room!" a booming voice said from behind them.

The two stopped immediately and looked up to see a big muscular blonde man. He was twice as broad as any Earthling. His athletic physique was accentuated by his black combat vest, hugging his muscles.

"Aww sh-shut up Cliff!!" Fayt yelled as he quickly let go of Maria

Maria just grew red in the face and quickly stood up.

"No point in getting defensive, I was just kidding!!" Cliff jeered as he scratched his head.

The three regained composure and opened the bridge door. The door slid open with a cool hiss.

"Captain on the bridge!" Maria exclaimed. She looked around at the crew who saluted her. "Mirage, location report?" she commanded. She didn't turn around to look at her and situated herself in the Captain's chair. "Maybe Cliff was right…this chair needs some major comfort adjustment," she thought.

"We are currently cruising through the Klaus system at 10 AUs on our sublight engines. We are en-route to Federation Station #5 aka Moonbase. ETA 18:00 hours Earth Time," the Klausian female replied.

"Any information regarding the Federation in the aftermath of the Proclaimer attack?" Maria asked examining some data that Mirage just gave her.

"It seems the Luther incident has left the Aldians, Vendeeni, and Pangalactic Federation in shambles," Mirage said.

"I hope our meeting with the New Federation President will clear things up," Maria said, worried.

"Are you sure you want to walk into the Federation's hands?" Cliff asked.

"No, but seeing as Quark will soon cease to exist, they have no reason to shoot us-on sight," she replied unconvincingly.

Cliff shrugged and pondered over Quark's disbandment. He thought it made sense though. Worlds loyal to Quark would only be influenced in their decisions due to their loyalties to Quark. Like Maria said, everyone will follow their own path now.

"Mirage you have the bridge, I'm just gonna get some food. Marietta increase our speed to 1600 AUs and power up the Gravitic Warp Engine. I want us 50,000 km from the Moonbase, just in case it is a trap," she commanded, nonchalantly.

"Yes m'am!" Marietta replied.

"Maria, can I join you?" Fayt asked.

"Of course," Maria replied smiling.

Fayt couldn't help smiling back.

Cliff watched the two as they walked off the bridge. "Huh they'd look good together as a couple, ahh whatever," he thought. "Maybe I'll go bug Mirage…hehehe," he smiled with a mischievous grin and walked toward his female Klausian counterpart.

* * *

Maria examined the sandwich she got as she ate it. She sighed, "Ughh I hate bologna," she said.

"Why'd you get it then?" Fayt asked.

"Well I don't like **turkey** more," she replied.

"Oh.." he said as he sipped his soda looking out of the mess hall's window port. He gazed out into deep space.

Maria glanced at her companion and immediately knew what he was thinking.

After they dropped the Elicoorians off at Elicoor II, they dropped off Peppita and Sophia at the Moonbase. It was a place for refugees to be reunited with their families. Peppita quickly found the Rosetti Troupe ad said her goodbyes. When Sophia and Fayt were re-united with their respective mothers and fathers, Sophia had a fit.

About 4 days ago…..

Maria, Cliff and Mirage were about to say goodbye to Fayt and Sophia, when Fayt asked if he could stay with them a little longer.

"Well kid I guess this is it, take care of him for me will 'ya Sophia?" Cliff asked.

"I will," she replied in her tiny voice which dwarfed in comparison to Cliff's deep voice.

"Well Fayt, Sophia, keep safe," Mirage said in her usual emotion-less tone.

"Sophia, it's been wonderful meeting you," Maria said hugging her friend.

"You too Maria, keep in touch all right?" she replied hugging Maria tighter.

Fayt was only silent not saying a word or anything to acknowledge their sincere goodbyes.

"So Fayt…I..er…we…being the crew, Mirage, and Cliff…I- we're gonna miss you," Maria stammered. She was blushing and was at a loss why she was acting so flustered. Cliff merely chuckled next to her.

"I've never seen her as distraught as this around a person ever since she was 12," Cliff thought.

"Umm thanks everyone, I'll miss you too, but why would I miss people…that I'll be spending the next endless hours in space with?" Fayt grinned.

"W-what? Fayt what about seeing your mother and m…me…." Sophia mumbled.

Fayt merely ignored her," So Maria? Guys? Can I?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course you can kid, Captain?" Cliff asked.

"Uh..yeah…your er…prescence will be uhh most welcome," Maria stammered. "I wasn't expecting this…" she thought

"Great!" he said as he picked up the bags he just placed on the floor.

"Fayt…what about me…us?" Sophia asked.

"What are you talking about? We'll always be friends.ALWAYS," he said smiling at her, as he moved to hug her she pulled away.

"Friends? Is that all I am to you? Because Fayt Leingod…y-you're EVERYTHING to me…I...I love you!!" she cried and kissed him. Fayt got caught up in the moment and didn't pull away, but pushed her away.

Maria looked on and felt an animal roar inside her, she tightened her fist and looked at Sophia savagely.

"Get away from Fayt you harpy!!" it roared at Sophia. A tidal wave of emotions raged on in her heart as she watched what would happen. She held her breath as she listened to Fayt's next words.

"Sophia I...I…" Fayt stammered, confused and puzzled. His face was contorted in confusion and panic.

"This is better than cable," Cliff whispered to Mirage.

"Fayt…do you love me back?" Sophia asked, timidly. Her face was emotionless, but then contorted into rage and pain as she heard Fayt's next words.

"I…I…I d-," Sophia cut him off.

"Forget it, you obviously don't know what you want, see you around," she spun around and turned to run.

Maria on the other hand exhaled. The monster within her purred with content. " W-what came over me…was I being jealous over…no of course not, I was just worried about him…" she thought.

Sophia's words cut Fayt deep, and he was deep in a sea of confusion.

"Sophia, you're being irrational," Maria cut in. "WHY THE HELL DID I SAY THAT!!" Maria thought, embarrassed.

Sophia turned around, her face twisted in anger. "Maria…what the hell do you know? You have never been in love, you don't feel either, just because you lost your parents doesn't mean you have the right to be an emotionless freak!!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Sophia!" Fayt yelled. As he did she was already running, just another person within the Moonbase. Fayt looked at Maria who looked like she just got slapped. He saw

A tear escape her but she wiped it away. She said that the Diplo was ready for launch.

So that's it, then Fayt shut himself in his cabin in the Diplo for 2 days. He didn't let anyone in and everyone respected him.

Finally, Maria pleaded with him to let her in. He did, and Maria saw him crying. He quickly wiped his face dry to face her.

…Back in the Diplo's Mess Hall.

"Fayt you okay?" Maria asked concerned.

"Hmm? Yeah fine," he relpied. He slowly rose his head and gave her a big grin.

She only smiled and couldn't help but to blush. "She loved his smile..so warm and comforting and…wait…am I…NO don't be silly. He is still confused about Sophia and he really isn't my…ughhh…now I'm the one confused," She thought.

* * *

….Back on the Diplo's Bridge

"Psst…hey Mirage!" Cliff whispered playfully.

"What is it Cliff?" she asked impatiently. She furiously typed away at her computer monitor. Truth be told it looked like some very complicated data. Just a bunch of 0s and 1s to Cliff.

"Have you noticed Maria and Fayt getting along…like REALLY well as of late?" Cliff asked with a very mischievous grin on his face.

Mirage was only silent for a moment. She closed her eyes to think then said, "What are you thinking 'ya big lummox?" Mirage asked, opening her eyes and continuing her work.

"I think you know exactly what I'm thinking," Cliff.

Mirage considered it for a moment, then her eyes widened in realization. "The Federation Negotiations?" she asked.

"Yep, let's flip a coin, heads we go with them, but if it lands on tails we don't…" Cliff replied.

"I'm not sure, it's not safe…" Mirage replied, concerned.

"Come on, they'll be safe with the 'Feddies' and I have a hunch it'll all work out correctly," he said boldly.

"Great a hunch, but ok I'm interested in what will happen," Mirage replied indifferently.

Cliff searched the dashboard for a coin and found one. It was an old rusty copper coin, but it would do. He flipped it and watched as the coin slowly moved in the air. When it landed there was a resounding 'ding' as it hit the floor.

Cliff looked at it and merely chuckled, "This is gonna be fun…." he said.

"Oh dear…." Mirage said, sighing.

* * *

Final Notes: So umm yeah thats the beginning of it. I honestly wrote this because there need to be more Maria and Fayt stories out there. I'm like setting out on a journey or something. lol.


	2. Chapter 1: Aggressive Politics

Disclaimer: Once again i do not own any part of Star Ocean though I wish I did...

Anyways without further ado, I present to you the masterpiece known as...

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**Chapter 1: Aggressive Negotiation**

Maria awoke in her rubbing her eyes. It was dark in her room and sighed. "Computer, lights on," she yawned. She fell back into bed, staring at the ceiling. "Maybe Sophia was right…you're a machine…you've never loved before…" a voice said in her head.

"That's not true you love Mirage, Cliff and the crew like family…" said another voice

"But not real love…" the other voice said.

"You love Fayt….why would you search the galaxy for him?" the other voice replied.

"That's because he was Doctor Leingod's son, you're only hope for answers," the voice replied.

"Ahh that's true," the other voice said finally.

Maria banished the thoughts from her head and took a shower…

As she stepped out of the shower Mirage's voice sounded on the loudspaeaker. "We have arrived at Moonbase, Federation Station #5," it sounded shrilly, then died away.

Maria quickly dried her hair and got out of the shower. She rummaged around for her usual Captain's Uniform and her gun. She found a new suit she had prepared for this encounter. She put on a sleek black suit and a shorter half-skirt. (The second outfit she wears with the blonde hair.) She put her gun in its holster and got out of the room. She was still half-asleep and didn't notice Fayt rounding the corner, and she bumped into him.

"Sorry Fayt!" she quickly said as the blue-haired boy toppled to the ground. She offered a hand to help him up, and Fayt took it.

"Woah, you okay Maria?" Fayt asked.

"I'm fine, just tired, I see you got the uniform I sent to your room," she said, sleepily. She looked at the uniform Fayt wore, the top almost identical to hers. However he wore brown leg and wrist guards. (Fayt's 2p outfit).

"Yeah, I'm surprised you knew my size," he replied, smoothing it out.

"Ha, you forget I pretty much stalked you trying to find you," she replied as they walked to the transporter room.

"Heh, I almost forgot about that, it feels like ages since the incident occurred," he said scratching his head. "It seems she was **really **interested in me….No remember she needed to find you to find dad…" he thought.

They walked into the transporter room to find Cliff and Mirage, well mostly Cliff scheming.

"Watcha up to Cliff?" Fayt asked happily as he entered and stretched his arms.

"Oh just some last minute preparations," he replied, with a glint in his eye.

Fayt unconsciously checked his back to see if Cliff was trying to pull a prank again.

"Well fellow negotiators are we ready to go?" Maria asked, glancing around at everyone. Suddenly Cliff had a spasm.

"Noooo!!Ackk!! Cough!!Cough!!" he yelled as he made some serious choking sounds and coughs.

"Cliff! Are you aright?" Fayt asked panic-stricken.

"Mirage…." He croaked. "I…I can see Klausian heaven…." he said between coughs.

"Cliff no!! Don't tell me!! Stay with me Cliff, Stay with us!!" she yelled grabbing his hand.

"Come…closer," Cliff choked. As he did he smiled to Mirage, her body shielding his face from Maria and Fayt.

"Oh no Cliff is having a Klausian…er….umm….Cold!" she stammered.

"I know you told me to take my shots Mirage…but I forgot…." he said, coughing again. Mirage patted Cliff's shoulder and turned around to face Maria.

"Sorry Captain, I have to take care of this gigantic lummox," she said, acting sad.

"It's fine, Fayt will be with me, hand me your data disc Mirage," she said. She gave her the disc and gave Cliff a discreet signal.

Cliff grabbed his throat and began rolling on the ground. He stopped and twitched for a second.

"Oh woe is me, woe is me!!" he wailed at the top of his longs.

Maria examined the card and gestured to Mirage. "Alright we're gonna go now, take care of Cliff's…Klausian…Cold…" she said, puzzled. She made towards the transporter, as did Fayt.

"Take care Cliff," Fayt said and patted his friend on the shoulder. Maria and Fayt disappeared from the room onto the Moonbase.

Cliff peeped an eye open to check if they were gone.

"Get up 'ya big lummox!" she yelled and kicked him in the side.

"OWWWW!!" he wailed in real pain.

Fayt and Maria were beamed to the transporter room on the oh-too-familiar Moonbase. There was a short 'erenghhh' and a materialization of light as the two appeared.

A man in a Federation Uniform was there to greet them.

"Captain Traydor, Mr. Leingod," he said as they arrived. "Where are your other companions?" he asked in a concerned matter.

With a short sigh Maria replied. 'Back to work' she thought wearily as she spoke.

"Yes, that's us," she replied with a terse smile.

"Our friends, were ummm…feeling under the weather," he replied as he slowly shook his head.

"Well nevertheless, when is our meeting with the President, sir?" she asked.

"The president has just arrived from Klazon IV, after negotiating with the Klazonians. She is extremely tired and would like to apologize for postponing until tomorrow," the Federation officer replied, seriously.

"Okay, I guess we're gonna head back to the Diplo," Maria told Fayt.

"No, it's quite alright, the President, personally made sure to book your group a suite," the officer quickly replied.

Maria nodded as the man old him to follow him. They reached a suite door and he opened the door.

"Here is your key and just holler to a Federation Official if you need something," he said.

"Thanks pal," Fayt said, ironically sounding like Cliff. The man left the two alone in the room.

"I'm gonna take a shower, what are you going to do Fayt?" she asked.

"I actually wanted to check out my dad's lab, I know I won't find anything, but I just wanted to check it out," he said.

"Alright," she said and headed into the bathroom and closed the door.

Fayt walked out into the hall and took the elevator to head down to the lab. On the way down he only noticed a handful of soldiers. "Wasn't there a whole battalion stationed here?" he thought remembering Mirage's report. He forgot about the idea and entered the old lab.

It's cool serenity seemed to mock him when he examined the lab. He looked around the place he had found out Maria wasn't exaggerating and telling him the truth about his powers. He looked at the frozen screen with his dad's face on it, as if frozen in time.

He looked at the rest of the room, noting that it looked the same as before. His concentration was broken when he heard his dad's image on the screen speak.

"Fayt," the image of Doctor Leingod said.

"Dad? Dad!!" he yelled and rushed to the monitor.

"Fayt…if you're hearing this…then you are alone, I have coded a special message specifically for you. For starters I want to apologize to you. I have failed you as a father for exploiting you like this. If I could, I would take back the entire experiment. Further more I want to apologize to Ms. Traydor, she was a complete stranger to the entire team and we had no right to use her. There is nothing to justify my actions. Son…I only hope you defeat the Creator so that my abuse of you isn't in vain. Secondly, I just realized you must've survived if you are listening to this. I'm so proud of you. I must warn you, you will be fought over for your powers, so keep safe son. There are others besides Vendeeni and Aldians out there. Be careful." He said. The screen was silent for a minute and Dr. Leingod began to sob.

"Dad…" Fayt whispered. The screen blacked but then turned on again. He saw his father and his team in front of the Federation's leaders. They were in a dark, circular room. In the center Dr. Leingod's team stood, while they were surrounded by Federation officials.

"We have found a way to stop the Creator!!" A young Dr. Leingod exclaimed.

"Elaborate on that Doctor," a man said.

"Yes General Schilling," the Doctor replied.

"We have found a use to the 10 Wise Men's genetics!" he replied.

"Leingod…the use of that research is forbidden! 400 years ago, they almost destroyed the Universe last time!" another man spat.

"Yes, I know but we don't plan to re-create the 10. We will merely imbed the powers of the 10 into babies, so their powers may grow!" Leingod exclaimed.

"What twisted parents would allow their babies to be given to such a experiment?" General Schilling asked.

"We simply used a young, lowly orphaned girl, and the results were extraordinary!!" Leingod raved. "The estimated power would be twice as much as the 10's!" he said, excited.

Fayt's fists tightened when he heard his father call Maria…lowly.

"And what other 2 unfortunate children will carry the same fate?" the General asked.

"O…our kids…" the scientist said painfully.

"I see…very well you have permission to proceed, the Federation will make sure to keep this quiet and will offer it's resources to you. Your Moonbase lab will be under the highest security," the General replied stamping the Federation's seal on a folder. The folder was labeled 'Leingod Project'.

"T-thank you General Schilling," he replied with his face staring at the ground.

"I will bring up the _Invisible_ next week to check on your progress," the General replied.

The screen blanked and left Fayt very confused and puzzled. "10 Wise Men?" he thought. "What the hell are they? And General Schilling…Invisible, sounds familiar," he said under his breath.

He looked at the room, just as calm and peaceful as before. He decided to drop it and left the room. He decided to not tell Maria, she had enough on her plate as it was.

He made way upstairs, pushing the elevator button. He realized he pressed the wrong button and the elevator was 2 levels too high. He quickly pushed the right one and the elevator stirred to life again.

"Dad… what were you trying to tell me? And these…10…Wise Men, what did it have to do with him and Maria? He told me to take caution of other…people…and protect myself…and her…" he thought. "It doesn't make sense!!" he yelled and kicked the wall. He cried in pain silently, and continued his way back to the room.

He realized he was in front of the door and opened it slowly, still muddled in his thoughts. As he rose his head he almost yelled out but slammed his hand over his mouth. He was looking at a nude Maria, with her back turned to him, she only wore a towel that hung at her waist. He quietly closed the door and slumped against it.

He quickly forgot about the 10 Whatsitcalls. He was having dirty images of Maria in his mind. His mind trailed off and wondered how her boob-WHAT AM I THINKING!! Fayt cupped his hands and ran them through his hair. "She had a really nice body…" then smacked himself again. "Damn hormones!!" he growled.

The door behind him gave way and he fell backward, falling right under her skirt and he couldn't help but look up. "Pink lace?" he thought.

"Fayt!!" Maria yelled as she moved away. She was bright red in the face.

"M-Maria!! I'm so sorry!!" he wailed.

"I-I…it's ok, I opened the door…" she squeaked, without turning to look at him

"Ummm…I'm going to sleep now," he said, after unbuckling his sword. He puled the sheets over him and jammed his head on his pillow.

"Yeah…uhh me too," she said, still in a small voice.

* * *

"Captain Gordon!! All Vendeen and Aldian forces are amassed by the Moonbase," said the helmsman.

"Good, tell all ships to stay just out of one Gravitic Jump, to stay undetected. Has Wifra assembled her forces for the diversion at Fed. Station #6?" Captain Gordon asked.

"Yes sir!" the helmsman reported.

"What about the Nedians?" he replied.

"The main fleet has escaped and are quickly en-route to the Moonbase sir!," the helmsman replied.

"What about the Federation Forces containing them?" Captain Gordon asked.

"Completely decimated, not a ship left whole," he replied.

"Damn! We're gonna be running on a tight schedule. Even if we do succeed, we're going to have to be really lucky to get past the Nedians. Helmsman, tell Aldian Command to beef up security around the Central City. I have a hunch the Nedians will strike there too," he said grimly.

* * *

The next day after having a sumptuous breakfast Maria and Fayt quickly agreed to forget the incident happened. Fayt conveniently forgot to tell her that he saw her naked.

They met outside the Conference Room that a Federation officer directed them to.

Like they agreed they wouldn't let it make things awkward, and they didn't.

"Ok so…Mirage's data file explains that the old Federation President was sacked for deciding to take the Proclaimers head on. More importantly he was sacked since so much damage was inflicted on Earth. Only the Federal City was the one that really remained intact. The Federal City, being the Federation's center. Senator Victoria Silvest was elected to be President and has since then made considerable changes. She had changed the Federation's aggressive profile to a more peaceful organization. However there is a rumor she has been using even more military force then before to attain her goals," Maria finished. She closed her eyes and remembered her Father's 'honorable' sacrifice for his 'beloved' Federation. "This is just like before…the Federation sacrificing lives for its Territory Wars with the Aldians and Vendeeni," she said.

"Maria, it's okay…we'll deal with her…together," he said confidently to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she put hers over his. She nodded and opened the door.

They entered the room and spotted a lady with dark brown hair and full lips. She had chocolate brown eyes and a young looking face. She definitely looked good for a 30-year old woman

"Captain Traydor, Mr. Leingod it is an honor to meet you two," she said graciously rising from her seat to greet them. Her smile was gracious and welcoming.

"Pleased to meet you Madam President," Maria said stiffly, shaking her hand.

"It is our honor President Silvest," Fayt replied, also shaking her hand.

"No the pleasure is truly mine. Word has it that you two saved the Universe with the powers Dr. Leingod gave you. I must thank you, without your bravery the Federation would be destroyed," she said…with a touch of pompousness.

"You mean the Universe right?" Fayt asked, slightly annoyed. She failed to acknowledge systems like Klaus, Elicoor and Vanguard.

"Yes..yes of course," she said, quickly covering her slip.

"So firstly, we would like to ask you a few questions, before we agree to…consider your requests," Maria said.

"Of course, I will answer to the best of my ability," the President replied.

"Are you going to continue your violent conquests of the recently we weakened Vendeen and Aldian states?" she asked directly.

"I assure you that no aggressive negotiation, what –so-ever is being used," she replied, flustered. She was clearly lying. "I'm offended you would even ask that, _Captain,_" she hissed on the word 'Captain'.

"One last question madam, why did you call us here?" she asked, simply_._

"Well the Federation is in shambles, as you obviously know, and we are all striving to attain Galactic Stability, and what better way t-"she was cut off by Maria.

"Madam, we cannot and will not comply to letting the Federation abuse our powers. We have seen what that led to before…only more conflict," she said calmly.

Maria's calmness unnerved the President. "Yes, but wouldn't you like to be heroes? Hailed as gods? You two could help us unite the entire galaxy, and destroy all evil?" the President said, greedily.

"Madam, we're not gods, we don't have the liberty of deciding people's fates, and you're beginning to talk like a corrupt politician," Fayt cut in abruptly.

"You want us for protection, or even more power, we won't have it!" Maria added, furiously.

"You have misunderstood me, I only wanted your help to establish Galactic St-," Maria cut her off again.

"You are asking us to help you in your…Territory Wars. I have experienced the loss of these, firsthand. My father was killed in a battle with the Aldians! How many young girls' fathers do you want us to lead into battle? Your stupid Federation wants us for its selfish desires! How many daughters are gonna cry their hearts out because of this? Answer me!" Maria yelled, letting a tear escape. Maria suddenly felt Fayt's warm hand on hers. He was signaling her to sit, and calm down.

When Maria was seated, cooling down, Fayt glanced at the president. She looked shocked as if she was just slapped. It looks as if Maria's words had hit a soft spot.

"Madam, excuse my colleague, she merely wanted to present a few facts to you," Fayt said calmly.

"Go ahead Mr. Leingod," she said wearily.

"Look, we know the Federation and its…ways. We don't believe in a High-Universal Order corrupting its charges. Don't confuse my words with Separatism, I don't believe in that either. I believe that the Universe could be better off acting under a simple democracy, like the old days of the USA. Consider this, Expel, a world under Federation control, leeches off Expel's amazing technology. Don't tell me that we were the ones to give them the stepping stones in the first place, I'm aware of that. It's just why can't we leave it at that? Why can't we simply share our wealth with others. That means we could have friendly relations, galaxy wide. Here is the situation," he paused to clear his throat.

The President looked at him smugly. "This kid proposes something of a 'Galactic Council'. Not a bad Idea actually," she thought.

"You take Expel's tech for half the price anyone else would be willing to pay for. However, Expel's fear keeps them in check. They fear the Federation, Aldians and Vendeeni, so they side with the lesser of two evils. The Federation. So excuse us if we don't share the dream," he ended calmly. Maria looked at him and nodded.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," she added.

The president merely scoffed at the two. "What they demanded was preposterous, except it did make sense…" she thought. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the entire Moonbase shook violently. She was thrown out of her seat and hit the wall.

Fayt and Maria also fell off, but Fayt caught her and shielded her from the wall. The place shook violently again.

"Thanks Fayt," she said, groggily, attempting to get up

"Don't mention it, but are we under attack?" Fayt said. He was answered when a Federation Soldier entered the room.

"Madam, we have to get out of here! Vendeeni, Aldians and some other faction have entered the Earth's gravitational field," he yelled.

"What?" the President cried in disbelief.

"M'am, they've landed troops as we speak!!" he said, a man informed him over his comm.

"Alright, let's hurry!" she said and gestured to Maria and Fayt.

"I knew I had a bad feeling about today," Fayt grumbled.

Suddenly the Federation officer groaned and fell to the floor. Vendeeni troops were right outside with their disrupter rifles trained on them.

"Shit," Maria said under her breath.

* * *

A/N:So there it is, I thought this would be easy, but man writing these stories are really hardwork!! I won;t be able to update until August, away on vacation, sorry guys!! But I already have my whole story written, adding things as I go along. I definitely plan to finish it. Heh, I couldn't resist with Cliff acting with the Klausian cold, his character is just so funny! Alright Peace!


	3. Chapter 2: Crash and Capture

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own the Blue headed Lad and his other companions

* * *

**Chapter 2: Crash and Capture**

The Vendeeni had their rifles aimed at Maria, and she moved to dodge. They pulled the triggers, and the blasts sped toward her. Suddenly she was tackled down by another person. The person grunted as he got singed by a blast. She turned around to look at Fayt.

"Fayt! Are you okay?" Maria asked examining his leg.

"Don't worry! Get the president!" he yelled. He seemed to be fine since he was able to get up quickly. He kicked the Conference Table down to use as a barricade. Then Maria pulled the President down behind the table. The disrupter blasts hit the table.

As the Vendeeni were reloading, Fayt jumped up from behind the table. Be brought his blade crashing down on an unfortunate soldier. As he landed, he adjusted his footing to throw a side kick into the other soldier. He assumed his ready position then twisted his blade around to catch the other soldier dead in the stomach. Another soldier was about to fire, but Maria quickly fired a deadly shot at his head. The two examined their work. With a sigh they turned to the President.

"President Silvest are you okay? Can you walk?" Maria asked, helping her up.

"Y-yes, I'm fine," she said, shaking dust off her outfit.

"We need to get off the Moonbase, fast. Do you have a ship we can get to?" Fayt asked.

"Yes, there is a secret transporter off to the side, which only I know about," she said. She looked a little pale in the face.

"Alright lead the way m'am," Maria said. She stopped before stepping outside. She went to a cabinet in the wall to pull out a phase rifle.

"Just in case," she said, slowly.

Maria and Fayt nodded and followed her out the door and to the left. As they walked further along they saw litters of dead Federation, Vendeeni, and Aldian soldiers, dead.

"God…" President Silvest said under her breath. She gazed around and slowly put a hand over her mouth.

"President, just think…all the families that will be grieving, think about the other lives that would be lost for your petty struggles," Maria said scornfully.

The President was still in shock looking at them. She seemed to notice one of them, as a tear fell from her eyes.

"Yes, well, we're almost there," she said, regaining her composure. She stopped when she reached what seemed like a dead end. She hit a panel in the wall, to reveal a keypad, she quickly punched in a code. The wall slid open to reveal a transporter.

"This will transport us to my ship, then we can escape, let me just confirm the coordinates.

Suddenly they heard voices on the other end of he wall. They spotted soldiers in a golden armor. One shot right above them and caused the wall to break, and debris fell upon them.

This time Maria tackled Fayt to the ground to save him. Fayt looked up dazed to see Maria on top of him.

"Thanks," he said. They quickly got up and noticed the soldiers getting closer.

They shot again, putting a huge dent in the wall.

"How could a small rifle like that cause that much damage?" Maria thought as she dodged another blast. As she pivoted on her leg she unholstered her gun. She spun around and aimed for the soldier's head. The soldier staggered backward, and fell limp on the floor. She shot another in the stomach, but the blast was absorbed by the armor.

"What the?" Fayt said. He quickly spun into action. Once again he waited for the reload, cautiously dodging the blasts. Then he made his move. He used his Blade of Fury technique. He maimed one soldier, turned his blade to get another, then he lunged forward getting two soldiers. More were coming from down the wall. Fayt lost his balace and had to scramble to dodge a shot. He got burned on the side by it and put a hand to his side.

Maria scrambled and shot a couple of bursts, aiming for their heads. "Madam! How much longer??" she yelled.

"Hold on….now!! It's ready!" she yelled.

"Fayt come on!!" Maria yelled to her companion. He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran to the transporter. Maria and the President provided cover fire to protect Fayt coming to the transporter. He quickly got in and the other two followed suit. Maria waited a second for the President to go. She snapped a bomb of her belt attached it to the transporter. When she was gone the bomb ticked for a second. When Maria was on the ship she detonated the bomb. It blew up the transporter, beyond repair, It ensured no one could follow them.

The strange soldiers examined the wreck and the captain shook his head.

"Captain Stern, it seems they've escaped," a soldier said.

"Obviously you fool!" he exclaimed. "Alert King Nede on the ship to be on the look out for the escaping Federation ship," Captain Stern roared.

* * *

Fayt and Maria materialized one after the other on the bridge of a Federation Ship. They arrived just in time to see a furious President screaming and yelling at the Bridge Captain.

"How could you let the Vendeeni, Aldians, **and **the Nedians catch us off guard!!" she yelled at the man. "You assured me that security was as tight as possible!!" she continued.

"W-well they attacked at Station #6 and we had to make sure they didn't get killed so-," the man quickly blurted but got cut off by the president.

"What about the Nedians then!! I thought we had them under control!!" she spat.

"Well some idiot left the Virtual Field off after a maintenance, and-,"the man stuttered, but got cut off again.

"Well that's your fault!!" she screamed. She calmed down for a second and took a seat in the Captain's chair.

"Captain we're being intercepted by one of the Nedian ships," the navigator said.

Maria looked on the main screen. She saw one huge golden ship decimating Vendeeni, Aldian and Federation ships alike. There were 6 smaller ships, drawing fire away from the main cruiser. One of the smaller ships broke off from the main fleet and pursued their ship.

"Nedians…?" Fayt thought.

"Alright divert power to front shields, at these coordinates put all power to the Warp Engine. Go into Gravitic Warp," the Captain replied

"What coordinates do you want to head to sir?" the helmsman asked.

"Captain, excuse me but could we go here?" Maria asked handing him Elicoor II's coordinated.

The Captain asked the President and she said, "Yes, I trust these people."

"Maria why Elicoor?" Fayt asked. He looked at the Coordinates on the screen.

"That was the agreed rendezvous point Mirage and I planned upon in case of an accident," she replied.

"Soldier, please show Captain Traydor and Mr. Leingod a guest room," the President said werarily.

"Yes m'am!" a soldier said, standing up, he motioned toward the two to follow him. They followed him and they went into the room

Fayt looked around. "Man, all Federation Ships look the same," Fayt thought. He remembered the tragedy of the Aquaelie.

"Alright I'm gonna try to contact Mirage," Maria said. She popped her Communicator open. Mirage's face appeared on the screen, she was in the System Operator's chair.

"Captain!Maria on the screen," Mirage said seriously. The warning klaxons were buzzing in the background.

"Yo, Maria!" Cliff said nonchalantly, as the Diplo's bridge shook violently.

"Cliff! Where are you guys! What's happening?" Maria cried, concerned.

"Hey Mirage data report! And direct power to the main cannons and maneuver to their starboard side helmsman!" he barked. The ship was rocked again.

"Maria we're currently in the somewhere in the Beta Sector. We're uhh being pursued by one of those strange ships, and we're getting torn apart. "Cliff, shields down to 60 however we did score a direct hit on their engines," Mirage said calmly.

"Alright divert all power to the Gravitic Warp Engine and get us the hell outta here," Cliff said to Mirage. Cliff turned to Maria, "Sorry shorty but we might be a little late," Cliff said seriously.

"Don't worry about it, we're safe with the Federation. Just get away safely and in one peace," Maria said.

"Roger, Diplo out," Mirage said. Her face disappeared and her face went dark. She began sniffling and put her hands to her eyes.

Fayt rushed over to Maria, he knew something was wrong. "Maria, it's ok, they'll be fine," Fayt said, hugging her.

Maria cried a little and whimpered, "I can't lose them Fayt! They're l-like f-family to me," she whimpered.

Fayt ran a hand through her hair. "It's ok, Cliff won't let them go down so easily, they wanna see you again too, shorty" he said gently. He added the last bit at the end as a joke.

"Y-yeah your right," she said, quickly regaining her composure. Her tough enigmatic shell appeared again.

Fayt wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "You're ok now right?" he asked smiling.

"Hey I'm not short!" she cried furiously. She punched Fayt in the arm lightly

"You kinda are...shorty!" he yelled. He smiled again.

Maria couldn't help but smile, and let out a short laugh. "You're smile is so infectious, it's hard to be sad around you," she said.

"Yeah wel-" Fayt got cut off as an officer came in.

"I'm sorry but we need you on the bridge," the man said.

"Of course," Maria replied seriously. They scrambled to the bridge and realized that they had returned to conventional space. They gazed at the form of Elicoor II on the ship's main screen. The President walked over to them.

"M'am, what happened?" Fayt asked.

"Well first of all sources have confirmed that this was a coordinated strike by the Vendeeni and Aldians. However the strange troops called the Nedians organized a surprise strike on the Aldian, Vendeeni, and Federation governments. Thanks to you, I got away safely. The other leaders however, unfortunately got killed in this assassination, but now we have reason to believe the Nedians are after you two. We analyzed some Ancient data-," the President stopped when the Systems Operatore spoke.

"M'am! Long Range Scanners detect unidentified golden ships are jumping out of Gravitic Warp!" the official yelled.

"Bring 'em on screen!" the Captain yelled.

"Sir weapons are charged and are firing a first round, the energy levels are higher than Creation Energy!" the System Operator yelled.

"Divert power to shields and aft engines! Dodge 'em!!" the Captain yelled. They dodged one bolt, but a lot more found their target. The bridge lost it's lighting for a while until the auxiliary lights kicked in.

"Captain! Shields are down to 20 and the Creation Engine is unstable!" the SO yelled.

"Alright all power to shields, give the evacuation code, escort her Madam President and her guests to the pods!" the Captain barked.

Fayt clenched his fist and remembered the attack on the Helre, this is just like last time! "Captain no! You and your men can get away too!" Fayt cried.

"No, someone has to stay and keep the systems running so you can get away!" he yelled back.

"But-," Fayt got cut off by Maria.

"Fayt…we have to be rational we have to get away," Maria replied grimly. She nodded to him and urged him to go.

"Alright…" he said, Maria bringing him to his senses. The ship was rocked violently again. The lights went out permanently, only the glows of the Crew's consoles were lit.

"Thank you Captain," the President saluted him.

"Just get the hell outta here! We'll be…fine," he yelled.

They didn't waste any more time and scrambled to the Escape Pods that the soldiers were motioning to.

"Meet you down there Fayt!" Maria yelled across form the Evac Corridor.

"Keep safe Maria!" Fayt yelled. They both forgot about the President as she simply sighed

"Kids…" she thought.

Fayt scrambled into the familiar cockpit of the pod. The pod whirred to life. The computer hummed and turned on.

"Welcome," it said in a cool voice.

"Launch now!" Fayt yelled. The hall ahead of him opened up, the walls glowed a neon blue, revealing the void of space at the end. The pod 'wooshed' as it accelerated out of the ship.

The pod was immediately rocked by cannon fire from the strange ship. He saw other escape pods exploding in balls of flaming red. "NO Maria!" he thought. If anything hapenned to her...he...well he... just wouldn't be the same

"Fayt! If you can hear this please respond!!" Maria's voice rang on his console.

"Maria! I'm fine! I feared you might have been in one of those pods," Fayt said, relieved.

"Me too glad , I'm you are sa-," she stopped when a wail of distress rang out.

"This is the President, my stabilizer has been destroyed and oh no! I'm jumping into Gravitic Warp!" she yelled. Obviously she didn't want this to happen, god knows where she would end up. The two watched on as the ship jumped, one of the strange ships broke off to give chase.

"Fayt let's meet up at Aquaria and- ARGHHH!!" she yelled as Fayt saw her ship shot down. It plummeted toward Elicoor II, as it burned up in the atmosphere

"No Maria!!" he yelled, her comm. link was dead, as Fayt couldn't contact her. His ship was suddenly rocked and his ship also began plummeting toward Elicoor II. He was shot again and Fayt hit his head on the console. He lost consciousness.

* * *

…On the Diplo somewhere in the Beta Sector, after successfully shaking off the strange ship.

"Arghh!! Damn wires!" Cliff yelled as he was stuck in a tangle of red, blue, green and yellow. He began punching the wires and the lights in the hall blacked out, then turned back on. Cliff looked up.

He saw Mirage flip on the backup switch. "Cliff I did some research on the ship and I found some interesting…Err what are you doing?" she asked, fighting back a laugh.

"I decided to take a lovely romantic stroll with these pesty wires," he said sarcastically.

"Cliff…" she sighed, shaking her head. "You're supposed to be commanding the Bridge!! Besides Steeg, Lancar and Lieber are just getting some tools. They're heading down to make repairs as we speak," she snapped at him.

"I know but I'm worried about Fayt and Maria, I feel guilty for putting them in this situation," he replied.

"Yeah but why-," he cut her off.

He finally broke out of the wires and the ship whined a bit, and Cliff scratched his head "Whoops, but anyways I got jittery and needed to stretch my legs, I'm really worried about them. Now I have a hunch that they're in trouble," he sat down against the wall.

Mirage took a seat next to him, "We're geniuses, huh?" she asked miserably.

"Yup," Cliff said sadly. Mirage put a hand on his shoulder, and they stood up.

"Now get back to the bridge before you blow up the engines or something 'ya big lummox," she joked. She hit him in the arm and he laughed.

"Alright, alright!" he replied, scratching his head.

* * *

Fayt groaned and looked around at the pod's cockpit, The pod was damaged beyond repair. He unbuckled his seatbelt, and heaved himself out of the ship. Across from him was another ship. "Huh, Maria landed next to me, lucky for us," he thought. He dashed to her cockpit, and slashed the hinge. The door swung open, almost nicking Fayt on the nose.

He looked at her. Her eyes were closed and some blood trickled down her face.

"Maria!" he yelled. He ran a finger along her neck, and felt a pulse. He exhaled in relief. He unbuckled her safety belt and carried her out of the wreckage. He gently laid her down on the ground. Fayt brushed a lock of her cerulean-blue hair, examining her face. He blushed, then quickly turned away. He noticed this pod's communicator was intact. He pulled it out, and pocketed it. He looked at its computer.

"Computer, what is our location?" he asked.

"Elicoor II, Continent of Gaitt, Underdeveloped World…tread with caution," it said.

"Well that helped," Fayt thought. He picked up Maria again and began walking on a rough path. He looked around, the forest was quite normal, it couldn't be Duggus Forest. He had no idea where they had landed.

After an hour or so of trekking he noticed, Maria began to get heavy in his arms. He lay his sword against a tree stump and put Maria down. He looked around, "The trees aren't as thick as before, and more light is shining through. We might be nearing the end of this wood," he thought. He heard something move and dashed to his sword, he spun around. It was just a bird.

Then he felt a gun pointed to his back. He raised his hands in sign of defeat. He turned his neck to look at Maria. A man wearing a blue army suit and armed with a 19th century gun pointed it at her. "At least she's safe," he thought.

"I surrender!" he said, chuckling inwardly at what Cliff did last time.

"By the Greetonian National Guard you are under arrest, do not attempt to struggle!" the man behind him yelled. It reminded Fayt of his Psychology Professor's voice.

"Wait…did he say Greeton?" Fayt thought. His vision suddenly blacked out as he felt a gun smack his head.

* * *

Alright so that should be the last update for a while, but never fear! I will complete it! Reviews would be REALLLYYYY nice. Any suggestions or comments are welcome.


	4. Chapter 3: Escape! Or not

Disclaimer: You all know about this part, If I did own Star Ocean, I'd be rich so I'm not so I don't.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Escape!! Or not…..**

Maria awoke with a massive headache inside a barred cell. She grabbed her head and tried to remember what happened. They left the Federation Ship on escape pods, her pod was shot and she became unconscious. "Fayt!" she suddenly thought. "I hope he's alright…" she was really worried about her.

She peered past the cell bars and noticed a guard with an old Civil-War like gun she had read about. "Well, we're somewhere on Elicoor…Maybe Greeton considering her guard's weapon. She heard heavy footsteps down the hall. She saw two solders dragging a figure along. She recognized the blue mop and stood up. They opened the cell and threw Fayt inside the cell.

"Hey you face me you idiot!" Maria yelled.

"Shut up!" the soldier yelled, and he swung his gun at Maria. She grabbed his gun, pulled it from his grip and clubbed the guard using her momentum. The noise reached other guards and they quickly jammed the door shut.

"We'll deal with you later…wench," the guard hissed. Maria noticed Fayt stir and turned her head toward him.

He craned his head upward and gave her a toothy smile. "Hey you…" he said drunkenly.

"Fayt! Are you okay?" she asked. She examined his body and noticed he had various cuts and bruises…he was tortured.

Fayt got off his stomach and sat on his bottom. He looked at her seriously and ruffled his blue mop. "So…how we getting outta here?" he asked with a sly grin.

"I dunno, but I'm sure we'll figure something out," she said she brushed some dirt off his face.

"Thanks…that torturer is something, reminds me of Airyglyph," he said sadly. They both slumped against the wall and looked at each other and just grimaced at each other.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me here Vanilla," a red headed woman said, she crossed her hands across her chest and looked down at rabbit looking thing.

"You know I don't just go into the open willy-nilly, but I guess I still am under your service," Vanilla replied.

"Were you able to make the bomb with the specs Fayt gave me?" Vanilla asked.

"Yeah…I've never seen anything like it, almost otherworldly!! Anyways with a little help from Izak I finished it!" Vanilla replied happily.

"Thanks," Nel took the bomb from the little creature and turned to leave. Vanilla stopped her.

"Where is Fayt anyways?" Vanillas asked.

"In trouble, I gotta go bail him out now," she replied sadly.

"Oh, Good Luck then!" Vanilla said, almost cheerful. Despite the fact Fayt was in trouble.

Nel walked away and paced down the street to a local tavern. She walked in and glanced round. She looked around and eventually took a seat at the bar next to a cloaked figure. The figure peered at her under his cloak with red eyes. He ruffled his black messy hair.

"Did you get the item?" the menacing figure asked.

"Bah! How did the fools get captured again!" the man yelled.

"Cool it Albel! Before I knock you out," she yelled.

"Hmph! I'd like to see you try!" Albel yelled. They both got up and went outside.

"Let's just get back to the Embassy and try not to kill each other," Nel replied, regaining her compsure.

* * *

"Fayt…Fayt, wake up," Maria whispered to her blue haired companion.

"Wuzz up?" he replied groggily, opening his eyes and glancing around.

"I have an idea…to get out of here," she said. She moved her hands to the zipper on the back of her suit.

"Wh-what are you doing!" Fayt cried. He immediately grew red in the face; he suddenly had a dreamy look on his face. He remembered the last incident. "Hoho…take it off…" he thought. "Wait nooo!! I didn't think that!!" he thought furiously.

"Here hold this," she said professionally. She revealed a pink lace bra. Fayt took it and felt his mouth suddenly hang open.

"Ummm what are you doing?" he asked, closing his mouth, wiping the drool.

"I'm gonna try to lure a guard to open the door," she said simply.

"With what?" Fayt replied cluelessly and honestly.

"Umm Fayt, I'm a girl and some men are pigs, so this should be easy," she turned around to face him. His jaw dropped and he was just staring. He had only one thought, "That body armor really conceals things…" he thought as he looked at her chest.

"uhh…duh…uh…I mean…uhh….umm…" Fayt stammered stupidly.

"Oh, umm just hide in the corner and jump the guard when he opens the door," she replied. She turned around and blushed. "He was staring…" she thought. She giggled at the thought, but quickly regained her composure. Almost as if perfectly on cue, a guard rounded the corner.

Maria cried out in a small and vulnerable voice, "Hey Mr. Guard…I need help."

"Huh what the!" he yelled as he saw Maria.

"Could you open the door? It's really hot," she said seductively, adjusting her bra.

"Uhh, I can't…" he said, walking closer with his hands outstretched in front of him.

"Please!!" Maria cried as she slipped her breasts between the bars. The guard couldn't take it any more and grabbed the keys off his belt. He fumbled with them and opened the door. Fayt prepared to move.

"Now, where were w-," he couldn't finish his sentence. Fayt jumped forward and punched the man with an uppercut. He caught the guard in the jaw. The guard fell to the floor.

"Here you go," Fayt said simply, he gave Maria her top back. Fayt was trying to keep his anger down. He felt extremely jealous when the Maria talked to the guard. He clenched his fist, and examined his work. He looked at the mangled mess on the ground.

"Fayt? You okay?" she asked worryingly as she pulled the zipper on her suit. Fayt looked up and, something seemed wrong.

"I'm fine, let's just get out of here," he said unemotionally.

"Why are you acting like that?" she asked, in a small voice.

"Like what?" he spat.

"Your tone…it's scaring me," she said, then she looked at him then laughed.

Fayt suddenly laughed too, "Can't you tell I'm angry? What's so funny?"

"You're jealous aren't you?" she asked.

"Jealous why? I mean uh, why would I possibly-," he got cut off as they heard guards around the corner.

"Let's talk later, we gotta get out of here first," she quickly replied.

"Right," he said.

* * *

Nel and Albel walked toward the compound. It was a big building; it was built like a military garrison, of some sort. They walked around the building, avoiding the main entrance. They encountered a group of soldiers, that they quickly dispatched.

"Bah! These fools are weaklings compared to Luther's slaves!" he spat at the ground.

Nel couldn't help but agree ever since they came back, she tried to drown herself in missions. But…they were too easy. "Let's just get in and get out, ok?" she replied.

Albel remained silent and merely pushed the side door open. They ran into some more resistance, but it didn't stop them they reached a fork in the hallway.

"Okay Albel, plant the bomb where we agreed on, then meet back here ok?" she asked.

"I know, I know," he snapped. He continued on without another word.

Nel walked down the other hall. She paused to open a door to see if there was map of some sort. When she walked in she didn't see anything but saw a familiar sword and Phase Gun. She picked them up but turned to the door. She cursed when she heard voices and saw the knob slowly turn. She looked around and saw a big closet. She jumped in and shut the door.

"Ok Fayt look for a map or something to get outta here," said a familiar voice. She heard some rummaging then decided to make her presence known. She opened the door and Fayt and Maria quickly spun around.

"Nel!" Fayt yelled.

"Evening folks, seems like you guys found a way to get out. And here I am trying to rescue you two," she said calmly. She threw them their respective weapons. "Come on let's go!" she said.

They both nodded after checking their weapons. They ran down the hall, following after Nel. Their surroundings began to feel like a dreary labyrinth of brown muddy colored bricks. Finally Nel paused and spoke. "Wait, we're waiting for Albel," she said. Then heavy footsteps could be heard down the other hall, a lot of them too.

Then they saw a figure dashing down the hall laughing hysterically. It was Albel, he ran right past him and merely waved.

"I suggest you run you fools! WHOOO!!" he yelled as he ran. The others glanced down the hall to see a gaggle of guards running. They looked angry, suddenly there was a huge explosion at the end of the hall.

Nel sighed, "Let's go!!" she yelled. Guards began shooting at the group, as the bullets whizzed past them. Maria aimed her gun over her shoulder and pulled the trigger three times. She heard a three grunts, and holstered her blaster, satisfied.

"There's the exit!" Fayt yelled as he saw light at the end of the hall. However, strangely Albel wasn't moving outside.

"Albel what the-," Nel asked but then stopped as she peered outside. She faced a massive group of soldiers with their guns aimed at them

"Hehehehe," Albel grinned, raising his sword.

"Albel you idiot!" everyone yelled.

Albel only chuckled, "This should be funnnn!!"

* * *

A/N: I know that it is a bit short but I didn't feel like writing anymore, but did feel like getting a chapter out, so comment and review


	5. Chapter 4: Federation's End

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or anything about it

A/N: I'm back! Sorta...still on vacation. Pardon this chapter if it seems...rough, this is a makeshift chapter and I'm on vacation so I'm kinda out of it.

Thanks so much for the 3 reviews I got, those really help...I'd like more though.lol. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Federation's Fall **

While Fayt and Co. deal with things on Elicoor, all is not well on Earth….

October 28th SD 772, Outside Earth's Orbit; Moonbase

On the bridge of the Nedian Flagship, the _Phantom Nightmare, _a man in golden armor sits on the captain's chair. The man is garbed in golden weaved robes and a golden crown sits on his head. This certain man had an air of power about him. He **had **power, power in his subordinates. He commanded power in a…sinister way.

This evil man was King Nede, king of Energy Nede, and the forthcoming Nedian Empire. He gazed lazily around at his crew. He slowly pondered the recent discovery on the Moonbase.

The man opens his eyes to reveal brilliant green eyes, the man has golden spiky hair. He had a young and handsome face. He gestured to the helmsman.

"Helmsman! Alert all ships to begin the ground assault on Earth, Today the Federation Falls!" he yelled. Then he laughed maniacally as he looked on the bridge's main screen. He chuckled as he saw his grand fleet tear up the remnant's of the Federation's fleet.

Then he gazed on the blue orb in front of him, it seemed so peaceful. He laughed again as he thought of the destruction he would bring upon the world.

2 days ago…..

Captain Stern kicked a dead body on the Moonbase. He was still on a blood rush after the raid they pulled. Soon they would be able to invade the Earth and unleash further carnage. His soldiers walked through the halls and they opened one last door they found. They entered some sort of lab.

"Alright boys!! Send this place to hell!!" he yelled savagely. His soldiers began laughing and began shooting their blasters. They tore the walls asunder and one shot blew a hole in the wall. Stern suddenly yelled at them to stop.

He examined the hole, and then they walked through it. He saw a pod, big enough to hold a single person. Glancing further around the room he saw 3 other pods.

"Contact King Nede, he is going to want to see this," he said to his soldier. The good captain was smiling and thinking PROMOTION!! He couldn't believe his luck! He had discovered Nede's most prized creations!! 4 of the 10 Wise Men

Present: Hovering over New York City, Capital of the Federation

"Indalecio, Jyril, Cyril, Berle, rise," King Nede said. The men around him each rose. They looked at their master, or so he thought.

"My lord," Indalecio said simply.

"It is truly an honor to finally meet Energy Nede's…_heroes_" he said as a hiss. He didn't mean the term heroes.

"The honor is ours…_sir_," he said curtly. Indalecio hid the fact that he loathed calling this lesser being…master. He looked on his king and thought of all the ways he could kill him. It appeased him greatly. His companions had similar thoughts. However, if he played his cards right, their roles would be soon reversed.

"Why the hesitation Indalecio?" Berle whispered.

"Shut up fool!" the red haired man snapped. His thoughts were interrupted.

"Nevertheless, you have a job to do right now. We have to re-pay the Federation for their…kindness towards us. I also doubt that you are kind towards them since they locked you away last time. For 400 years may I add," King Nede said cooly.

Indalecio considered it, "So be it, I'll...We'll help you conquer the universe," he said. As he spoke he already thought of how he could overthrow the king. The hangar doors had begun creaking open, light began to creep in.

Nede smiled, "Good," he said and he turned away.

"But keep i mind this isn't for you...we have our own agenda," Indalecio whispered.

"What was that?" Nede asked.

"Er...nothing sir," he quickly responded.

"Good luck men," he said finally and walked away.

The three stood at the edges of the hangar and fell off.

They all landed with a heavy 'thud'. Which created three mini-craters in the ground. They had landed in a very big city, there were huge buildings everywhere brimming with technology. The Nedians had already begun it's bombardment of Earth. The City they were in was the Federal City, once called New York. At the center of the city resided the Earth's Planetary Defense System. The building was a huge building with a huge gun situated in the center, doubling as a planetary shield.

The 4 just smiled, they drew their weapons and heard the sound of footsteps around them. Fedeartion soldiers had assembled on either ends of the road they were on, the Nedian ship gone by now. They lazily cocked their heads and were gone in a flash.

"He couldn't at least spare us a few troops?" Berle jested. He said as he gained speed.

"That would be too Easy my good Berle," Indalecio said. The 4 quickly leapt into action. Berle slashed and twisted his sword around as he crashed into the bevy of Federation soldiers. They all shot at him in vain. His huge shield and heavy armor absorbing every shot. He swung his sword around in a circular motion, killing the unfortunate soldiers caught in the radius.

The captain of the group was shouting orders to his men, in a futile attempt to put Berle down. The Crazy Man was laughing like a devil as the shots bounced off him. He jumped on to the captain, and rose his gigantic sword and brought it down on his opponent. Berle laughed harder at the gore of his opponent.

"These fools are so weak!!" Indalecio said as he conjured a huge energy blast. He fired it at a sniper troop forming on the wall. More troops flooded in from the North End of the street. 2 Oso Tanks had formed with the troops. The Oso was a huge tank with a single huge cannon. The Oso fired 2 rounds at the men, the blast actually phased Berle, Jyril, and Cyril. They jumped back and gritted their teeth. Berle threw his gigantic sword at the Oso's gun barrel. The tank imploded on impact. At this point the Captain of the Federation troops screamed into his comm. He was begging for reinforcements.

However the troops were already spread out, dealing with the other Nedians throughout the city. The Federation had already emptied half their garrison to deal with the Wise Men. Things weren't looking good.

* * *

A brunette tightly hung on to the railing of the military vehicle. She tightened her gloves and adjusted her robe armor. She looked at the Silver haired girl in front of her.

"Peppita are you ready?" the brunette asked.

Peppita fastened her bangles and turned them on, they hummed and glowed light blue.

"Of course!" she said happily. Peppita and Sophia had joined a special unit to attempt to fight the unidentified invaders. The vehicle stopped and everyone clambered out. Sophia threw an assault rifle over her shoulder and grabbed her staff. Peppita grabbed a micro blaster and clambered off.

Sophia casted a protection ward over the group. They trouped down the street and saw the enemy massing in force down the street.

"Lock and load marines!" one of the special ops forces yelled. He cocked his rifle and put his helmet on. The marines were armed to the tooth and wore black suits of carbonite armor. The Marines began firing on the Nedians.

This troop had reverted to bullet magazines as opposed to energy packs. They needed to pierce the armor. Although slower, they'd work. The armor-piercing rounds instantly worked and a soldier staggered backwards. The Nedians opened fire, but Sophia's ward absorbed the shots. She winced as the wards taxed her energy.

She shook if off and casted an explosion on the Nedians. She quickly casted the runes and blasted the Nedians. One of the Marines loaded an RPG and quickly aimed and fired. The others continued to take pot shots at the retreating soldiers.

"Hoorah!" a Marine shouted and banged his fist against his chest.

"General, Sector 12 Sec- Wait! What's that?" Sophia said as she looked up the road. Federation soldiers were in full retreat running in full retreat as a blast tore half of the street apart. Sophia immediately strengthened her wards as another blast surged toward them. As the blast was absorbed, it was too strong! Sophia's legs immediately buckled, as she fell to the floor. She had to drop the barrier and the blast struck the group.

The Marines dove for cover, but weren't so lucky. More than half were consumed by it.

"NO!" Sophia cried out. The survivors recovered to cover Sophia, a huge man was walking towards them, Berle. Berle was suddenly swept to the side by a white blur. Peppita had dodged the blast and kicked Berle, hard in the side. The last two Marines trained their rifles on Berle, and fired. The lead bullets pierced his armor, and he cried out in pain. Berle quickly regained his footing. He scrambled to his feet to get his sword and shield that he dropped.

The Marines wouldn't let him have it and continued taking pot shots at the behemoth of a man. Berle merely stomped through the gun fire. He was beginning to bleed furiously, and he got his sword and shield. He positioned it so that the blade's flat faced him. Then he swung it at the two.

The Marines didn't have time to react and were caught by the gigantic sword. They died instantly and Berle walked over and grabbed it.

Peppita only watched in horror, she dashed toward the large man, preparing a fierce attack. Then, Berle expertly grabbed Peppita's foot, as she aimed a kick at him. Berle used his superhuman strength and twirled the little girl around his head. Then he threw her at a building.

Sophia slowly regained consciousness as she saw Peppita's body slam into the building. Rocks fell on her and was covered in a pile of rubble. Sophia gasped and picked up her staff. She turned her gaze to the large man. She dropped it and silently cried out as the huge man dashed toward her, sword raised. Berle grinned behind his helmet.

This…is the end… Sophia thought. She sadly thought about what she had said to Fayt and Maria… They didn't deserve that…and I didn't mean it…Sophia began to sob, but her forehead glowed blue. In a flash, she teleported right behind the gigantic man. Sophia took a breath and instantly knew what to do. Sophia drew the assault rifle slung on her shoulder and cocked it. She pulled the trigger, all within 4 seconds. And her eyes glowed a light blue. The Connection gene triggered. She literally opened a rift in time connected to another and passed through it. The bullet pierced the already cracked armor and got Berle in the heart.

Sophia passed out and fell to the ground. Berle choked blood and let out a twisted, "Damn it…beaten…by a girl…" he choked. He fell to the ground and Sophia and Berle lay next to one another. One dead, one hanging on a thread. 3 Men walked over and they examined Berle.

"Weak fool," Indalecio spat. Jyril and Cyril only laughed. The three shifted their gaze to Sophia, who was still glowing. The symbols on her forehead were glowing bright blue. The three gasped.

"Indalecio…those symbols…" Jyril said slowly.

"Yes I know we can use those to resurrect the others," Indalecio replied.

"According to the research that the good King found suggests there were three beings created from our genetics, could she be one of the three?" Cyril asked.

"Probably, but don't worry about it now," Indalecio waved his hand as he healed and teleported her to the ship.

They could hear a lot of footsteps down the street, and looked up. They drew their weapons. "Now where were we?" Cyril asked and began to laugh. They leapt into battle and left a maelstrom of destruction. The men continued their way to the city's center, striking down every foe in their way. When they reached a huge plaza they saw a large company of Nedian soldiers.

One soldier broke off from them and walked over to them. "My lords, the rest of the city is conquered, all that is left is the Planetary Defense Building. The Federation is holed up in there. All civilian are under control, the building is for your taking, on your commands sirs, we strike when you're ready," the soldier said quickly.

The three turned their heads and smiled, "Now." They each said in unison. The soldier gave the order and a huge tank pulled up. It's main cannon powered up and fired at the huge doors, toppling them instantly. Federation soldiers immediately piled out. All firing lead bullet weapons. The three charged the front gates, they effortlessly tore through the soldiers. The Nedians followed their fearless leaders into battle.

All the Federation Soldiers were fighting at the front door, spectacularly holding them off. The Wise Men were just too strong. Indalecio fired bright blue bolts of thunder, smiting groups of soldiers at a time. Jyril threw himself into a group of enemies and brandished his spear expertly. Combined with his superhuman speed, surpassing a Klausian's, he was on a killing a spree.

Cyril broke through the line and led his troops to the first floor, Special Op troops guarded the level. They put up a better fight, but were greatly outmatched. The Nedians pure strength and power was too much. When the Nedians reached the 3rd floor an old man was waving a white flag. Assorted colors on his jacket, suggested he was if a high ranking.

"I am the Grand General of the Federation…we…we surrender, we are yours to do as you bid," the man said helplessly. "But please don't kill anymore, spare the citizens of Earth. I have already told all forces to surrender, you will face no resistance."

"Very well, on your knees dog!" Indalecio yelled. "Cyril!" he roared.

"My Lord?" he asked with an evil grin on his face. Indalecio only nodded. Cyril drew his sword and plunged it straight through the man's body.

"I declare myself Conquerer Of Earth for King Nede!!" he rorared. Both Jyril and Cyril shook slightly at their leader's laugh.

With that, the Federation was broken by three men. Federation Stations, Universe Wide became apart of the Nedian Empire. Indalecio walked through the building and reached the Communication tower. It signaled all Federation ships to return from their missions and return to Earth. Little do they know that it was a trap.

Almost 40 decades later, the 10 Wise Men have returned, and are terrorizing the Universe, again.

* * *

A pile of rocks and rubble laid on a side. No movement. Then a pebble fell out of place. Then the rocks exploded as Peppita burst out of them.

"Unghhh," she groaned as she stretched her arms. It was very dark, and no one was on the street. The street was completely torn up. It was lighted by a single lamp post that had escaped the havoc.

"Where is anyone? HELLOOOOO!!" she yelled. Suddenly she heard two rifles cocked, and aimed at her.

"You're up past curfew, you're under arrest," said a gruff voice.

"W-what?" Peppita said, confused. Since when was there a curfew?

"You're comin-What the?" the man stopped. He turned around and a bullet struck him. Peppita's mysterious savior quickly turned his rifle and shot Peppita's other captor.

"You okay? " a soft voice asked. Peppita faced her savior.

The man had short brown hair, he was a Marine by the looks of him.

"W-who are you?" Peppita asked.

"Captain John Johnson at your service, oh savior of the universe," he said stiffly. He offered his hand, and she shook it.

"Oh, that title...it's so embarassing...everyone else did the hard part," Peppita replied modestly.

"Don't sell yourself so short m'am, now we have to go underground before they send more," he said rapidly.

"Wait what's with the curfew? Underground? I don't understand!" Peppita yelled.

"Quiet!" he hissed, "I'll explain later, for now you'll have to trust me."

She looked at him then nodded. "I don't trust him yet...but he seems nice. And I need to tell me someone what the hell is going on!" she thought.

* * *

A dark brown haired woman sat in a lone chair in a dimly lit room. She slowly opened her eyes and winced as a bright light was suddenly held right in her face.

"Say your name," a voice said sternly.

The woman looked puzzled and panicked as she realized she had no idea where she was.

"SAY YOUR NAME!" the voice yelled savagely.

She focused her eyes on her persecutor. He had red hair and red eyes. She was afraid of the man for some reason.

"V-Victoria Silvest, President of the...F-Federation," she said slowly.

"Good, now was that so hard? Now you're gonna be a good little girl and cooperate with me," he said wickedly. The lights flicked on to normal and the man turned off the flashlight he held. They were in what appeared to be her Presidential office. There was a video crew getting ready and cue cards, she presumed she would have to read.

She gulped and only nodded. Unsure of what this man...no he wasn't human. Unsure of what this _thing_ had in store for her

* * *

A/N: What is happening in this story? Never fear! All will be answered in the next chapter hopefully! Remember...I really like reviews, even if you bash me!!


	6. Chapter 5: Fugitives

A/N: Alright here we go again, once again pardon me if this chapter was sloppy, I've been itching to get writing again though! SO here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean

* * *

**Chapter 5: Fugitives**

Back On Elicoor…October 29th, SD 772

Albel was still laughing, and the soldiers still had their rifles aimed at them.

"Albel if we live, I swear I am going to grab two katanas and shove them up your damn ass!!" Nel yelled.

"Quiet wench, we have to focus on the damn situation at hand, after all you got us into this mess…" Albel slowly trailed off.

"How did I get us in trouble Albel? I am going to KILL you!!" Nel screamed. Her face was growing a crimson red, similar to her hair.

"Guys let's not overeact, we gotta stay calm….or try to," Fayt said hopelessly.

"Umm, I don't know if you noticed you fool, but we're surrounded," Albel growled.

"We all know who's fault that is," Maria whispered.

"Yeah….good job Nel!" Albel yelled. Nel raised her dagger but one of the soldiers had had enough.

"Shut up!" he yelled. He had been wondering if he should let them kill each other or not.

"Drop your damn weapons or we will shoot!" another soldier yelled.

"Why would we drop our weapons, we could easily defeat you maggots!" Albel yelled.

"Who does this guy think he is?" the soldier thought. He just smirked at the grinning Albel just rooted to the spot. He blinked, and he dissapearred. Wait? Where did he? Too late. "Ughh," he choked.

"Too slow worm," Albel whispered from behind. The soldiers were completely shocked since Albel instantly disappeared and re-appeared in the middle of their troope. What was he? A god? A demon? Their questions weren't answered. Nel sparang into motion and agily leapt into the fray.

Instead of killing them, like Albel. She tapped into her training, Pal Che De form 1. The Snake pattern. She attacked swiftly and powerfully. She broke their weapons with her daggers and hit them in their pressure points. Her face was taut in deep concentration. Then her face contorted in panic…she missed one. As the man rose his blade a blue blast issued from Maria's gun. The man was impaled on the spot.

More soldiers readied their weapons and Albel gave them a death glare as he rose his blade threateningly. They threw away their weapons and ran away. Albel let out a loud 'hmph'. "Weaklings, that teaches them to mess with me!" he yelled. He turned around to see Fayt, with his blue angel wings alit. "Oh…" Albel said plainly.

"Good job Fayt, you scared them," Maria said as she turned to the blue-haired boy. However, the energy around him was mounting. He couldn't release the energy. The blue symbols appeared on the ground and an angel's image appeared. "Fayt! Stop!" Maria yelled.

Albel and Nel winced and pulled their cloaks up. They watched in horror as Fayt was on the verge of blowing up the city. Soon enough the ground was embroidered in blue symbols as far as the eye could see. Almost like a quilt of symbological symbols. The prettiest death mark you would ever see.

"Fayt, you maggot stop playing around!" Albel yelled, half scared.

Maria walked toward the angel of destruction floating in front of her. Tears fell down her face as she saw him in that state. She closed her eyes and focused on her power. Blue wings formed on her back. She floated up to him. Clear, ethereal blue eyes looked into an identical pair of clear blue eyes.

However one of the pairs of eyes was in full control. She conjured huge ice pillars to surround them. But, no not ice, pure blue energy shielding the two. It seemed like they were two beings floating for eternity. The blue symbols on the ground instantly disappeared, except for the symbols within the pillars.

Nel and Albel looked on as they watched the most beautiful sight they had ever seen. A blue pulse of energy flooded in the pillar Maria formed. Then the energy dissipated into the ground. While the rest of the energy was absorbed by Maria, she let out a small whimper. The two braced themselves expecting to feel a shock, but there was nothing.

In the pillar Maria was embracing the Angel of Death. "Fayt…it's ok, calm down, you're safe, Nel and Albel are safe, I-I'm safe. But it hurts me to see you in pain like this, please… it's alright," she said lovingly.

Fayt's eyes dimmed and Maria and gently floated to the ground. He fell unconscious in her arms and he felt heavy in her embrace. The energy pillars disappeared and Albel helped her with Fayt.

"Fayt! Fayt! NO!!" Maria yelled. She looked at his face and madly shook him. She stared in horror, thinking the worst.

"Calm down Maggot," Albel hissed. "He's fine," he said feeling Fayt's pulse, it beat normally. Fayt's face was calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Albel? Can't you be a little considerate? Let's get him to the Aquarian/Airyglyphian Embassy," Nel snapped.

"Bah! The fool is weak, he can't even stand up after his own attack. An attack is supposed to meant to hurt your enemy more, not yourself," he spat back.

Nel growled but held her head up high. "Guys let's just go, I'm really worried about him," Maria said. She handed him over to Albel. Albel looked like he was holding the dead body of the devil. Then again, he'd probably look happy, Albel Nox, Demon-Slayer. Heh he'd like the sound of that. (As the author I won't give him that satisfaction, hahahahahahahahahahahah!! Erm-let's get back on track).

Nel glanced up and down the now deserted street, she led them back within the city limits. She stopped before they reached the North Gate. She placed her hands on her hips and turned around to look at them.

"You guys are going to need disguises, the Greetonians are very punctual about law enforcement," Nel said.

"Oh of course," Maria said. She took out the communicator she had snagged from the guard. She flipped it on and set it to 'change appearance'. She hit it once and ran it over her face like a scanner. Her hair changed as a red light ran over her. Her long blue locks became shorter and blonde. It accentuated her blue eyes and made them seem brighter. Maria examined her tights, that somehow got torn. She pulled on the ends and ripped them off, cutting them shorter. This revealed her long, slender legs.

"Hmm not bad…" Albel said. The two turned around, before he knew it, Maria and Nel had slapped Albel, leaving two red marks. "WORMS! You dare touch Albel, The W-," Nel cut him off in his outrage.

"What? Albel the Wussy of all that's perverted?" Nel teased.

"WENCH!" Albel yelled. He chased her up a large tree and back down. They chased each other for another 10 minutes. All the while, throwing back insults at one another.

Maria sighed and turned to Fayt, and she ran a hand through his hair. She examined his features and noticed he was quite good-looking, she shifted her gaze towards his lips and felt an urge to... WHAT!! Did she just? Yes she did. She had it bad for Fayt Leingod…but how long? She knew the answer to it…but avoided the truth. "He wouldn't return my feelings anyway…" she thought.

She sadly ran the communicator over his face, turning his blue hair to dark brown. She only looked at him again and blushes deep red. She ran her hand through his hair again. "Brown works for him," she thought and smiled. She heard a soft laugh only to see Nel and Albel looking back at her.

Nel had a small smile and Albel had a gigantic arrogant smirk that would put the snobbiest brat in the Universe to shame.

"Having fun?" Albel jested. He couldn't help it any longer and burst out laughing.

"Maria likes Fayt! Maria likes Fayt!" he mocked. "Fayt and Maria sitting in a tree F-U-C-K-I, AHHH!!" he screamed out. A blaster bolt whizzed past Albel's face, centimeters away.

"Would you like to think before finishing that sentence?" Maria smiled grimly, almost deathly. Her gun was pointed at Albel.

"Try me….N," Albel said, still smirking.

"Last chance…" Maria said, and loaded an energy burst attachment.

Albel took a deep breath, then said, "G." He yelped, before he could finish, she fired. The burst left a singed and crispy Albel. He let out a wheezy cough and toppled to the floor.

"Good job Maria," Nel said approvingly, clapping her hands. She was silent, then gave her a sly look. "So you really do like Fayt don't you?"

"You know Nel I only used an eighth of the power pack on Albel, meaning I have a pretty much full pack to use," Maria said waving the blaster, cocking the gun.

Nel cringed and said, "Never mind let's get to the Embassy, let's go Albel." She walked over to the groaning Albel, and pulled him by one of his braided hairs.

Albel suddenly came to life, "Lemme go 'ya wench!" he yelled, kicking and screaming like a kid.

"Not a chance," she said simply and dragged him towards the North Gate. Maria laughed and slowly hoisted Fayt on to her shoulders. She walked around a bit to guage his weight and found it manageable.

They walked about half a mile on the dirt road leading away from the facility and passed through the North Gate without a hitch. Maria presented herself as one 'Kairi' and Fayt as her 'boyfriend' 'Sora'. The guard thought they were weird names but let them through.

Albel commented from the ground that there was a reason Fayt was lights out and suggested a sexual reference, before getting bonked on the head by Nel. Maria chuckled and waved her gun, and he quickly hushed up.(Poor Albel, not really)

They made their way to a big rectangular stone white building. There was a nice little fountain in the courtyard, before entering the building. The building was simple, 5 windows were positioned above 5 more windows on either side of a big door in the center. 2 Aquarian guards stood in front of the building.

"Lady Nel! Sir Albel!" the guard saluted. They looked at the group and let them pass through. They greeted the men back end entered the building. They entered a richly decorated room and heard a single booming voice resounding from the Front Desk. A big, muscular blonde man was waving his arms in hysteria at the frightened young woman at the desk.

"I'm looking for Nel Zel-phur and Al-belle Nox-uh. You know the grand heroes of Elicoor or something!" the man asked. It was Cliff.

"Sir they away on a mission and left this morning, and it seems they have just returned sir, look behind you," the woman said calmly.

"Hey, don't play games with me!" Cliff yelled. "Albel's a girly little fellow, he wears a skirt and wears womanly clothing, we're actually unsure if he's mentally stable or not."

"Maggot!" Albel yelled and miraculously found the strength to get up.

"Oh, hey Albel, Nel is a red-headed lady…a TOTAL babe, but a little uptight. Nothing a little Cliff magic can't fix; if ya' catch my meaning," Cliff said to the woman. Completely oblivious to Nel standing next to Albel.

"Cliff," Nel said irritably.

"Oh hey Nel," Cliff said. Then he turned around. "N-Nel! A-Albel! Umm how long were you guys there?" he said, scratching his head.

"I'm gonna have fun shoving my Katana down your throat you maggot," Albel said menacingly. He brandished his blade running his claw down the steel blade.

"No Albel wait-," Nel said raising a hand to stop him.

"-Thank Apris!" Cliff boomed.

"Let me help you," Nel finished, lowering her hands to her daggers. Albel laughed wickedly. Nel gave Cliff a death stare, one that could challenge Albel's.

Cliff cringed, but then saw Maria. He completely forgot his fears and ran through the two. He knocked them over like bowling pins. Then he grabbed Maria and Fayt, mind you, in a crushing bear hug.

"OH MY GOD!! You two are okay! I thought you two were goners, me an' Mirage's STUPID plan…" Cliff continued to sob and didn't realize his confession.

"Cliff i-it's alright just let me go!" Maria yelled. Fayt woke up and didn't take kindly to be rudely awoken.

"What the bloody hell is going in ya' big lummox, and what the hell happened to your freakin' cold!" he yelled. Cliff quickly let go of him and began apologizing to Fayt.

"I'm so sorry for letting you two go on by yourself to the meeting, me and Mirage's stupid plan and my fake cold…oh..damn…" he suddenly realized what he was saying.

"Cliff? Kindly repeat that last sentence and explain," Maria said menacingly, cracking her knuckles, doing a good impression of Cliff.

"Uh… I dunno if that's the, Erm-wisest choice…" Cliff stammered. He started fiddling with his fingers

"1...2..." Maria counted, she cocked her gun and put the good ol' Energy Burst capsule in.

"Uhh..Ok..I'll tell you...you see Me and Mirgae well we sorta..." Cliff started. Then he told her everything...sorta.

"Wow...well that...changes everything," Maria said tearfully.

"Yep, everything's the truth," Cliff said.

"I can't believe you guys wanted to help Mirage's ailing dad! Why didn't you just tell me?" Maria asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Well...we didn't want to seem like a...burden," Cliff said innocently.

Fayt was just looking and blinking the whole time at the fiasco. "What the hell happened?" he thought.

Just then the two enraged Elicoorians wanted to remind Cliff...things weren't over. "Oh Cliffy!" Nel's voice rang shrilly.

"Yeah?" he turned around smiling. He faced Nel with daggers drawn and Albel. "Oh shit..." he said. he ran in the opposite direction of them and yelped every so often when Nel fired Runology at him.

"Umm what the heck?" Fayt asked with a mega confused look on his face. He watched amusedly, at Cliff's peril. He looked at Maria and noticed her hair.

"Long story..." she said shaking her head. Fayt only continued to stare, and when she stopped shaking her head, he gazed into her blue eyes. Which he noticed seemed brighter do to her blonde hair. He found it really attractive, and his eyes trailed to her legs...Damn those god-forsaken hormones, he thought.

"Er I like the umm blonde hair...and uhh what hapenned to your pants...it looks er..torn," he stammered. He tried to keep his eyes from staring...but couldn't. He kept trying to giver her subtle glances, but she noticed all of them. She blushed and only laughed bemusedly.

"Uh yeah, having neck problems?" Maria asked.

"What? No!" he said nervously.

"I like the brown hair too mister," she said cutely. "Oh damn...I'm flirting with him," she thought.

"What? What exactly hapenned? How did we get away? Will someone explain to me?" he inquired.

Albel popped out of nowhere and stopped chasing Cliff for a second. "Oh, you see you lost control of your powers and went berseko, now you're the most wanted on the Greetonian's hit list," he said simply. He continued chasing Cliff, and yelled 'maggot'.

"Oh...great..." Fayt said. he obviously looked like he had an inner conflict within him. "So? I regained control though right?" he asked weakly.

"Umm no...I calmed you down...but it's ok no one got hurt," she said soothingly.

"...I'm gonna go for a walk," he said and sulked off.

"Fayt..." Maria said softly. She dashed after him.

Cliff stopped quickly and yelled, "ENOUGH!" Cliff turned to face Albel and Nel coming at him at full speed. He prepared for an attack.

"Any last words maggot?" Albel asked, as he prepared to strike.

"Only 2...MAX...SHOCKWAVE!!" Cliff yelled and sent a powerful tremor of energy toward the two Elicoorians. They jumped out of the way and the attack broke the statues of Arzei and Romeria in the center of the hall.

"Haha...Maggot!" Albel chuckled.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiit!" Cliff yelled.

"You're going to have to pay for that Cliff," Nel teased.

"Ahh whatever, where's Fayt and Maria?" Cliff suddenly said. They looked around and saw them nowhere in sight.

* * *

"Fayt! Get the hell back here!" Maria yelled at him. They were in the garden behind the Embassy.

"Why? Why should I? I'm a monster Maria! Every second I spend with you guys...I'm putting you in danger! I could blow up at any second!" Fayt yelled savagely.

"That's not true! Don't you dare call yourself a monster Fayt...because you're not!," she yelled back. For some reason she was fighting back tears. He wasn't a monster to her...he was **everything** for her. Despite the fact that she would deny it.

"Maria no...I can't bare the fact of hurting any of you," he said, walking closer to her. "Especially you," he said softly. He brushed aside one of her blonde locks. He looked deeply at her.

Maria looked up at him...did he just say? "Look we all trust you...you don't know it but we all look to you for leadership...we need you!" she pleaded with him. "I need you," she thought.

"I...," Fayt was speechless.

"She's right kid," Cliff said calmly. Fayt looked up to see Cliff, Albel, and Nel walking toward them.

"Bah! I don't need him!" Albel spat.

"Shut up Albel!" Nel yelled back and pulled on one of his braided hair strands.

"Look, kid I dunno exactly what hapenned, but I can guarantee that we all look to you for leadership. So don't break down on us now, we're gonna need you more than ever," Cliff said grimly.

Everyone looked at him confusedly. "What are you talking about Cliff?" Maria asked.

"Hold that thought, Nel do you have a conference room we can use...to talk?" Cliff asked.

"Yeah, follow me everyone," Nel said.

Everyone began to walk but Fayt held Maria back. He grabbed her hand.

"Fayt? Woah!" she yelped as she turned around and he pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you, Maria thank you...it seems I really need you to put me straight sometimes huh?" Fayt asked smiling. He let go of her and continued to smile.

"Oh... I didn't do much really," she replied flustered.

"No, you did and thanks a lot," he said confidently and gave her an even warmer smile.

"Uh N-no problem," she stammered.

* * *

The 5 were gathered in a square room with a big polished oval, oak table in the center. Wooden chairs lined the table.

"Alright time to get serious now," Cliff said with a grave look on his face.

"If the big fool is this serious something is up," Albel smirked. And surprisingly, Nel laughed.

"Umm Nel? grow up please?" Cliff sermoned, only to get a dagger thrown at him.

"So what is really going on Cliff?" Maria asked.

"Let's start with the Strange Ships orbiting Elicoor," Cliff said, expecting Maria's next question.

"You mean the Golden ones?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, they're called the Nedians, I'm lucky I was able to get through their bloackade," Cliff said proudly.

"Hold on who are these damn Nedians?" Fayt yelled.

"We'll get to that, Maria what's up?' Cliff asked.

"Where's the _Eagle II?" _she asked.

"I left it in Aquaria with Adray, the queen gave me a royal escort here," Cliff replied. "Anyways let's begin with this video from_ Earth News Daily_ that I downloaded," he finished. He placed a cube on the table, the cube was completely black. However the sides were polished which gave it a shiny look. The cube projected a screen on the wall, so that everyone could see it.

The screen depicted the Madam President in her office. The headline said 'Madam President found! Alliance with Saviors!'

"Hello citizens of the Pangalactic Federation, I have been rescued by the gracious citizens of Energy Nede, who found my pod floating through the Zeta Sector, I would like to tell you all everything is alright. Our war with the Aldians and Vendeeni is over, we have all been united under one banner! We have formed an Alliance with the Nedians who will be providing us protection, as we are all still reeling from the Executioner incident. They have agreed to lend us their protection, in exchange for political power. They will have reign over the Beta and Alpha Sector as well as have a Representative here on Earth. Do not be Alarmed I will still be the the political figure in charge," She said, but then something strange hapenned, it was as if the volume was suddenly muted. The background music continued but the President's voice stopped, but her lips were still moving.

Cliff paused the video. "I'm assuming you caught what she said, correct Maria?" Everyone else was puzzled, how could they know what she was saying when there was no sound?

"Yes I did, I suppose it is MuteTone?" Maria asked.

"Hold on a sec, MuteTone?" Fayt asked.

"Yes, it is a way of speaking, with only your lips, there is a complete dialect, quite fascinating actually. Only a handful of people in the Universe know it though. All Quark members learned it in case of capture though," Maria explained.

"So what is the worm saying you fool?" Albel demanded.

"Well she said 'I'm being held hostage, a gun is being pointed at me as I speak, they are making me read cue cards everything is a lie! The Nedians took Earth in a bloody struggle! The Nedians are in control now! Please someone help! Save us!' and that's all," Maria said grimly.

"Cliff...who are these bastards!" Fayt exclaimed.

He only closed his eyes he looked at him and said, "Let's watch the next clip first, then I'll explain."

He pressed resume and the screen blanked and played a new scene. The headline said 'Fugitives'.

This time a man with red hair and red eyes was on the screen. He had a sinister presence about him. He was dressed in rich golden robes. He wore an arrogant expression that made Albel look like a selfless ninny.

"Hello, my name is Indalecio, Grand General of the New Tri-Ubulum Empire, I have disturbing news to present to you...The president was assassinated this morning in her sleep by these two fugitives," Indalecio said.

Maria and Fayt gasped as they saw their images on the screen. "How the hell is this happenning?" Fayt exclaimed. "Where's their proof?" he demanded and he hit the table and it shook violently.

"Wait there's more and it gets better," Cliff said.

"These are their accomplices, they are part of the terrorist group known as Quark, it is believed they were behind the attempted takeover of the Federal City, here is footage from yesterday," Indalecio said sadly. The pictures of Sophia and Peppita appeared. on the screen along with a label that said 'Wanted'. It shifted to a scene where they saw Peppita kick a huge man to the ground. Sophia was also there fighting the huge man in red armor. He wielded a huge sword and shield. The scene shifted to where Sophia was in one place then re-appeared behind the man. A single shot of the assault rifle was heard as it killed Berle.

"These two have yet to make an appearance and are still on the run out there," he continued. Pictures of Cliff and Mirage were shown. "They are the masterminds behind this operation, however luckily the Federation seeked us out and we stopped the Terroists' takevover, however I lost a comrade that day...a close Friend too...But his death was not in vain it helped preserve the Federation! Don't worry Justice will be upheld and we will avenge the President's death...we will catch those murderers... To you I promise that, in wake of recent events I have been elected President of the Federation, acting as a lowly servant to my Lord, King Nede. I will not abuse my power whatsoever," He finished...sinisterly.

"This is an outrage! That man spilled utter bullshit! And can you believe it the President dead?" Fayt yelled. He pounded the desk again and it broke in half.

"Fayt! Calm down, we must be reasonable!" Maria said sternly. She gave him a look, and Fayt sat down.

"Ok... so this man, Indalecio who is he? And what the hell is going on!" Fayt said, feeling helpless.

Cliff was silent, and everyone looked at him with inquiring eyes. "Have you heard of the 10 Wise Men?" he asked calmly.

Fayt gulped and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had heard them before alright, and it was associated with his father's research. More importantly his powers were derived from these beings. "Yes...I have what of them?" he replied, fearing his answer

* * *

A/N: Ok so I lied, questions won't be answered, probably the next one though, erm like I said a little rough, but i rely wanted to type and get it out.

Comment and review!


	7. Chapter 6: Revelations

A/N: OK we're on ch.6 now this should clear some things up, I kinda wanted to leave everyone in the dark on purpose. So the few people with me let's get on with the show!

Disclaimer: Oh yeah I don't own Star Ocean

* * *

**Chapter 6: Revelations**

October 29th, SD 772…Somewhere on Earth in the Federal City, 02:00 hours

A short girl and a tall man stood at the intersection of Brand Ave and La Cienega Blvd. Everything was quiet and the two spoke in whispers. God knows why they were out at this time…past curfew. A small boy looked out the window from across the street. He quickly closed the curtain to avoid suspicion.

"Isn't it about time John?" the small girl asked. She asked, checking her watch.

"Yeah Peppita, it seems that good for nothing is late," John said irritably.

Suddenly they heard a huge tank rolling down the road. The two gasped and tried to find cover. The tank stopped in front of them, it bore the Tri-Umbulum Seal on it's armored body. It was basically an Oso with a new paint job.

The hatch opened and a man, a young man no older that 18 jumped out. "Evenin' Sir! I got you a gift!" he said cockily.

"God damn it Kian! We're supposed to be operating stealthily!" John yelled at him. The young man only smiled once more, he had spiky hair and he wore a bandana over his head. He wore a battered peace of armor and a sniper rifle was slung around his back. A pistol hung at his belt. He walked a little flat-footed towards them.

"Take it easy Captain! No one saw us. Me and my boys will clear the way for you and divert their attention. After all it is a big tank," he said furiously.

"OK fine! Let's just get on with it damn it!" he yelled. Peppita shrugged and they clambered into the tank. 6 other men sat inside the vehicle. They were some Marines they had found one night past curfew. They rescued them.

Peppita had joined some sort of Rebel group that operated quietly to try and annoy the new government. This organization was formed by John, but humbly let other people lead. He just led teams in the field.

The tank plowed along and the streets were quiet, of course not for good reason. The group was confident they wouldn't be ambushed. The tank stopped at a corner. In front of them a huge black building stood in front of them. A military garrison/ prison.

"Alright lock and load men, we'll meet up at the detention level, good luck!" John said. Kian smirked.

"Don't worry about it!" he said as he got back into the chair. John and Peppita exited the vehicle. And hung in the shadows. They waited for the tank to move into position. The tank's huge barrel whirred to life and began to roll. It suddenly fired without warning. It shook and inched backwards from the recoil. It blew a massive hole in the thick doors.

Alarms started blaring and the automatic guns on the roof got ready. The faciltity instantly came to life and bright lights flashed to life to find the agressor. They took aim and shot at the tank. Kian and his men were under heavy fire so Kian drove the tank through the wall and into the Garrison.

"He is crazy! That wasn't part of the plan!" Peppita exclaimed.

"Ahh Kian is a lose cannon, but a damn good fighter, he'll take care of himself, now we gotta do our part." John said. They scrambled down the manhole in the middle of the street. They jumped down onto the dirty old sewer. This thing was ancient!

"That smell is wonderful!" Peppita exclaimed sarcastically. She pinched her nose.

John seemed unphased. "Don't worry its not far," he said. Peppita followed the soldier thorugh twisting tunnels and passages.

"I can't believe that those horrible people are pinning the blame on me and my friends! How can those horrible people lie so bad to so many people! And who do they think they're fooling! The only reason people are taking that bull is because they're too afraid!" she cried angrily.

"I know…I know those news casts are a bunch of bologna, it was obvious that Federation troops were defending the innocents! But those invaders…they're technology is frightening!" John said with a shudder.

"I know…its like living through the whole Executioner incident again!" Peppita said.

"Yeah ok here we are, ready?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she said confidently. She powered up her bangles and put a clip into her rifle.

"Look, I'm sorry for making you fight…you're so young and one's innocence shouldn't be lost quickly," he said sadly.

"Aw just shut up and give me a bosst," she replied. She punched the manhole above her open. And jumped up. She glanced around to check if there were any hostiles.

"Area secure?" John asked.

"Affirmative," Peppita replied. She crouched down on the floor by the manhole and pulled him up.

"Alright, follow my lead," he said. It was a little dark so he turned his shoulder light on, Peppita followed suit. She held her rifle in front of her and breathed slowly.

"Where are we?" Peppita asked.

"Should be below the detention level," John replied. They trooped on silently and reached a flight of stairs. Halfway up they heard a huge explosion upstairs. John checked his watch.

"Kian?" Peppita asked.

"Kian," John replied. They ran up the stairs and reached a sign that said 'Detention Level'. An arrow pointed down the hall to the left, they heard footsteps coming down the 'up' stairs. Enemies.

John took aim and expertly took out 2 soldiers. Peppita fired her rifle, attempting to keep it steady. The enemies returned fire and John got singed on the leg.

"Arghh!" he screamed and grabbed his leg.

"John!" Peppita yelled. She fired her gun at the enemies on the up stairwell as she ran toward John. He pulled out a painkiller syringe and thrusted it into his leg. He screamed again but, was able to get up.

"I'm fine!" he yelled. The soldiers had the upper hand with the higher ground. They also heard men coming down from the left end of the hall.

"Damn! They're surrounding us!"-he pulled out his com and yelled into it-"KIAN! Where the hell are you!"

"On the way sir," Kian replied. John aimed his gun again and took out another soldier on the stairwell. Peppita trained her gun on the darkness, waiting for the other soldiers. She saw a foot and then released a burst of lead into the darkness. She heard several grunts. She turned on her shoulder light and saw the last one. She jumped up and gave him a good kick. The guard grunted. There were more shrieks and she looked up, Kian and his men had dispatched the soldiers on the stairs.

"Evening Captain," he said cockily.

"Git the hell down here, we got a job to do, did you raid the weapons cache?" He asked angrily.

"Yessir, we got them bag of weapons right here," he said and pointed to a big black bag.

"Alright let's move, how hot is it up there?" John asked. They walked down the corridor. They all switched their lights on.

"Hot as hell sir! There's an unholy amount of god-forsaken bitches up there, we were lucky to get down here,"-Kian paused-"better hurry too, they comin' down, an' they ain't happy."

"Alright we gotta work quick," he said and they trooped down the hall. John immediately spotted a lone guard at the gate of the detention block. He shot the man in the knees, then walked up to him. He took the man's keys, than brutally clubbed the man's head with his gun. The body fell limply to the floor.

"Gotta watch out, the good 'ol Cap'n gits angry sometimes," Kian said in a hushed voice. John opened the door and went through, he flicked on a switch. The lights flickered on and revealed thousands of cells. Peppita closed her eyes and then slowly opened them.

John seemed to be looking for someone particular and led the way. They passed cells full of Federation soldiers. The levels above, full of convicts. He stopped at one cell.

The soldier looked up, "Cap'n?" The man said then he squinted and then smiled.

"Yeah, it's me, at ease men, we're busting you outta here," he said and opened the door. The men clambered out and Kian handed them all weapons. John walked to a large switch that looked like an old handbrake. He pulled it and all the low level doors popped open.

"John? Are these all Federation Soldiers?" Peppita asked.

"Yep, alright boys let's get the hell outta here!" John barked.

The soldiers all yelled in agreement, he was pulled aside another soldier.

"Sir we have to rescue another, prisoner!" he yelled.

"Who?" John asked. Who is that important that they get their own cell? He thought. Then…he had a hunch.

"Just follow me sir," the soldier replied. They disappeared down the hall, then came back out 10 minutes later, with a woman. She looked beaten, bruised and downright ragged. Everyone gasped.

"Isn't, isn't you supposed to be dead?" Kian asked stupidly.

"Sorry to disappoint you," the voice said weakly. Then she coughed. Her dark brown hair no longer sleek and shiny but frizzy and matted.

"Madam President, you're alive?" Peppita said. All the soldiers averted their gaze to the President and everyone gasped.

"Uh hate to break it to you guys, but we got company!" one of the Marines from Kian's group yelled. He came running from the entrance of the detention block, with his gun swinging wildly at his side.

"Hellllll, alright Marines lock and load!" John yelled. The armed soldiers followed him. Peppita sighed, back to work, she thought. She pulled a fresh clip from her belt and loaded it into her rifle, replacing the old one.

* * *

"The 10 Wise Men?" Maria asked. Fayt just sat their awaiting Cliff to answer Maria's question.

"That's what I said when Mirage first hacked into the Federation database, then she dug even deeper," Cliff explained.

"My dad said that they nearly conquered the universe a long time ago…he…he said that the basis of our powers were derived from the 10's Symbological Construct," Fayt said slowly.

"That's right…Mirage said that the 10 were completely derived from Symbological Genetics, creations, they aren't human. Unlike you three, plus Sophia; who merely had the gene imbedded in you…Hang on when did your dad tell us that?" Cliff asked suspiciously.

"Well…" Fayt explained what had happened on the Moonbase. He said he forgot about it after the 'incident' with the door. Everyone in the room, except for Maria, howled with laughter, especially Albel.

After everyone calmed down and Nel convinced Maria not to kill Albel or Cliff. Cliff continued.

"OK, so lemme start from the beginning, these Wise Men were defeated 400 years ago. The Federation locked the Men. that could not be killed, away on the Moonbase. Soon after they fell in the posession of Doctor Leingod's team. They examined them and were able to duplicate the powers and put them into you two. As Fayt said, your powers are double theirs, as your powers got stronger as the cells with that gene multiplied and multiplied," Cliff paused.

"So how did they come into existence in the first place?" Fayt asked.

"Ahh I was just getting to that part,"-Cliff said as he took a gulp of water-" Now these creatures originated from the planet of Energy Nede, the farthest planet away. It sits alone in its own sector named the R Sector. Now on Nede a war raged hundreds of years ago. It was a Civil War, where no side had hopes of victory in sight. Then a man's daughter was killed by the other side. So this man creates these godly entities to kill the other side and end the war," Cliff grabbed some more water.

"Weak fool, overcome by grief!" Albel spat. Once again Nel smacked him across the face. "Oof!" he said as his head was thrown backward.

"Anyways these godly creatures ended the war, but the man was killed because of his creations. People killed the old man. They had become unruly and listened to no one. They believed if the man was killed his creations would have no purpose, then kill themselves. So the Wise Men rampaged across the galaxy and left Nede in a state of Civil War once again," Cliff stopped and resumed quickly.

"The first planet on the agenda was Expel, now at this time Expel was still Underdeveloped. There was also an offworlder that happened to be there at the same time, a Young Federation Lieutenant named Claude Kenni. He befriended the locals and helped them defeat the terror terrorizing them. Funny actually their story is similar to ours. Stranded on a Underdeveloped Planet and help them defeat a god-like entity," said Cliff.

Fayt snorted. "That is ironic," he said.

"Huh, so is there anymore?" Maria asked.

"What? Oh yeah so Lieutenant Claude becomes Captain Claude and reports to the Federation. He fully details his encounter with them. The Federation unleashes their entire navy and invades Nede. They released a biological sleeping chemical on the planet. Then they surrounded the planet in a virtual field-," Cliff got interrupted.

"Virtual Field?" Maria asked.

"Yes it is like a planetary shield, but causes the people on the planet to hallucinate. It makes it seem they were living normally but really its just a simulation. However some idiot forgot to keep it on after a maintenance check and well things just got worse," Cliff finished sadly.

"So what about those Aldians and Vendeeni outside the Moonbase when the Nedians attacked? We heard their governments were decimated," Fayt said.

"Yeah, just like the Earth, their forces were taken over, all just part of the Nedian Empire now. The Aldians and Vendeeni formed a sort of alliance to git you two guys. They probably wanted you for protection or something of that nature," Cliff said miserably.

"So the Nedians…what do they want now? Why are telling all these lies?" Maria asked.

"Well we've a hunch…Mirage thinks that they want you two to…to…revive the 10, and our Intel says they might already have Sophia," Cliff said grimly. "And well the lies were to make it seem nothing was wrong," Cliff finished.

Maria and Fayt looked dumbstruck at the news. Everyone in the room contemplated the information they just heard. Fayt slowly shifted around in his seat.

"So…what now?" Maria asked.

"Nothing we can do now," Cliff said grimly.

"Yeah it is getting late and with that fleet in orbit, we can't get outta here," said Maria. She looked at the ceiling and rubbed her eyes.

"Mirage said she'd contact me when she got help to bust us outta here for now, we rest. Maybe we'll head toward Aquaria after we get some rest. Earliest we'll be outta here is the day after tomorrow," Cliff explained.

"Ok, Nel could you prepare our rooms? We're really tired with everything that happened today," said Fayt.

"Of course, we always have guest rooms ready, Albel will lead you guys to your guest room. Maria, if you'd follow me that would be great," Nel explained tersely.

"Alright," said Fayt tiredly.

Cliff yawned, "Damn I'm tired from all this serious business, let's hit the sack!" he yelled.

The group chuckled and exited the room. They returned to the main lobby and walked past the broken statues of the King and Queen of Airyglyph and Aquaria, respectively. They walked to the Grand Staircase that branched off into two directions.

There were only a few people left, as it was late, and it was very quiet. Nel led Maria to the left and Albel led them right.

"Goodnight," a murmur of slurred voices said from the guys.

"Goodnight," the girls returned.

* * *

Albel led them into the room, quite simple but very clean. Just two beds and two small tables on the side of either one.

"Where do you sleep Albel?" Fayt asked.

"I have my own quarters you fool! A man such as myself has status within this kingdom,"-Albel spat then turned to the door. He turned the knob and it creaked as it opened-"Night," he spat.

Over in the girls' room lay two beds, exactly the same as the guys' room. Obviously the Elicoorians weren't too creative.

Maria threw herself on her bed and Nel on hers.

"This is actually my temporary room, my private quarters aren't finished yet," Nel said simply.

"Sorry to impose on you," Maria said, embarrassed.

"Hey, it's nothing!" Nel said, reassuringly.

"Haha ok," Maria laughed back. She looked at the ceiling and found herself thinking about Fayt. "I wonder what he's doing right now…I guess I admit I do like him…But he probably doesn't feel the same way…Oh well I'll just move on with my life…I always have and always will.." she thought. She felt a tightening feeling in her chest. She felt tears, but wiped them away.

Nel thought she heard something and looked at Maria. "Maria…you like Fayt don't you?" she asked.

"W-What! That's absurd…" Maria exclaimed.

Nel only narrowed her eyes and looked at her slyly. "Come Onnnnn," she asked sarcastically.

"OK…fine I do, but he doesn't like me so I'm moving on," Maria said hurtfully.

"Did he tell you he doesn't like you?" Nel asked. She moved onto Maria's bed. They looked like a pair of Gossiping teenagers.

"N-No but I'm s-sure of it," she said, her nose sniffing.

"There's always hope Maria, don't give up!" Nel said sternly.

"Nel! The chances of Fayt and I coming together are like you and Albel getting married and having a highly functional family !" Maria yelled.

"It's totally different, have you ever seen the way he looks at you?" Nel asked calmly.

"W-What are you talking about?" Maria asked, cluelessly.

"I won't say anymore, just think about that, I've seen him stare mindlessly at you…so goodnight Maria," she ended cheerfully. She went into the bathroom to clean up. Maria wiped her tears and dropped back on to the bed. She immediately fell into a deep sleep. A sleep mulled with dreams of a certain blue-haired protagonist.

* * *

Meanwhile in the guys' dorm….

"Man! I love Aquarian hospitality! Their beds are always so damn awesome!" Cliff yelled.

"Hmm yeah, Aquarian Beds kick ass," Fayt said raising his fist.

It was silent for a while until Cliff placed his arms behind his head. He looked over at Fayt with a glint in his eye. "Soooo how was gallivanting 'cross the universe with the captain?"

"Err misfortunate," Fayt said stupidly.

"Well duh doofus! I mean did you two like bond?" Cliff asked excitedly. He sprang up and was sitting on his bed now. He waved his arms in hysteria

Fayt considered his next words. "I have feelings for her but I'm not gonna tell him that!" he thought. "Er yeah! She's uh great in battle, saved my ass a couple of times and uhh she's a great person and umm-," Cliff cut off the stuttering Fayt.

"Cut the crap kid, I know you have feelings for her, I couldn't help but notice how you stared at her blond hair and her well everything. And its not the stare I give beautiful women. You gave her what I like to call the 'love' stare. You my friend have it bad for Ms. Traydor," Cliff said laughing.

"Cliff…get real, I don't have feelings for her…none at all and even IF I did she wouldn't like me either…" he said. He had lied about his true feelings…but he had to. Cliff could NOT know.

"Come on dude talk to me man-to-man," Cliff said sternly.

"Look…just drop it dude, I'm going to bed," Fayt replied angrily.

"Alright I'll drop it. goodnight.," he replied kindly.

Fayt drifted into a deep sleep and his dreams muddled of Maria. (The hopeless lovers, the author thought)

* * *

In Elicoor's orbit October 30th, SD 772 01:00 hours.

A huge ship hung in space above Elicoor. It was a golden one, and looked very beautiful.A small shuttle landed in the big golden ship's hangar. Four men stepped out onto the hangar bay.

"Why have you brought me here Indalecio?" King Nede spat.

"My lord I told you about the girl we found…how we could resurrect the others!" Indalecio replied.

"Yes…go on," King Nede said.

"I've found the other 2 based on the information from the Moonbase lab, they are on the planet we are orbiting," he replied quickly. King Nede was silent, and pondered over this.

"More power..." the man greedily thought. His eyes looked hungrily with power.

"Really…I see, tell Captain Stern to prepare his unit, send Jyril with them," the king said tersely.

"Yes my lord," smirked and bowed then walked away.

"Oh and Indalecio!" Nede called to him.

"Sir?" Indalecio asked.

"Good work," he said then turned away again.

"Th-thank you sir," Indalecio turned away again. "With the 10 at his command…he could overthrow the foolish king," Indalecio thought. He only chuckled. Jyril and Cyril aware of his thoughts.

"Mortals...so easy to bend...their greed and lust for power...so moritfying," Cyril said.

"What the hell you blabberin' about Cyril?" Jyril asked.

"Nothing, come on let's catch up with Indalecio, don't want to anger him," Cyril replied. Jyril shrugged and chased after their leader.

* * *

A/N: Woah that was a long one, 10 pages on Word. Okay so you got answers but only more questions, you'll just have to read to the end to find everything out. Mwahahahahahha, Erm, excuse me. So Read and Review!!


	8. Chapter 7: Grief and Compassion

A/N: Ok here's chapter 7, I hope i'm still talking to people out there, lol. Guys...my number of reviews...disappointing, I'm gonna finish, but it's kinda discouraging. But on with the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean

* * *

**Ch.7: Grief and Compassion**

Oct. 30th SD 772, 04:00 hours…Military Garrison on Earth.

"God damn! There are too many!" Kian yelled.

"I know, I know!" John yelled. He jumped from behind the cell wall he was hiding and fired a few rounds at the soldiers. A mass of soldiers had gathered on the detention level, while the group was rescuing the other Marines. There was a huge line of soldiers firing on them, and then another line behind them. They had John and his men pinned down, everyone was attempting to find cover. They would have had them outnumbered...if most of them were armed. But only about 15 out of 300 were armed. The enemies kept firing round after round, after round. They scored a few hits, but nothing major.

Suddenly soldiers on the front broke off and ran to the back. The line behind them stepped up, and then another line behind them stepped up behind them. There was gunfire coming from behind and it seemed like someone new had joined the fray, but who? Everyone else in the Universe was against them. They heard gunfire and a grenade blast within their enemies' ranks. There was smoke and a perfect hole was blown in the enemies' ranks. Three figures could be seen walking amidst the smoke.

"The helll?" Kian asked. The Marines looked just as confused. There was a lot of smoke and they saw a shadow in the dust. The other 2 shadows trained their guns on either side. Then they shot the surviving soldiers, they didn't even know what hit them. The other figure dashed toward them, a woman by the looks of it. She had on a full combat suit on and a blue helmet. Her face was concealed by a yellow visor. She had long blue hair that flowed behind her.

"Come with me if you want to live," her voice said. It was somewhat slurred from behind the mask.

"What the? How can we even trust you?" Kian demanded. Peppita regarded the figure then spoke. Something seemed...familiar...but what?

"Let's trust her, I feel like I know her…her voice is familiar," Peppita said.

"W-What? Cap'n you can't be-," Kian got cut off.

"Alright I trust ya' lil miss Peppita," John said.

"So how we getting' outta here miss?" Kian asked as a blast whirred past him. Kian aimed his rifle and fired back.

"Wait for it…1…2…3…boom," she said simply. And as a matter of fact a huge explosion ripped through the soldiers. "New bombs, can't live without em', let's go!" she said. Her other 2 companions came out of the cover they were hiding in.

The Marines trooped after her as well as the unarmed soldiers. They attempted to salvage weapons from the dead soldiers. Very few were found since the blast nearly tore them all apart.

"So how we escapin'? still a god damn lot of em' up there," Kian asked.

"We have to get to the Living Quarters, level up from here, my men have prepared a ship. We just have to clear the place before they get there," she said. 10 of her companions, outfitted in the same battle gear joined her.

"ETA 5 minuted," her companion said. He seemed to be male, one of the two that came with her.

"No Sophia?" another asked, female this time.

"No, I checked the prison database," the blue-haired woman said sadly.

'Sophia?' Peppita thought.

"Hey are you talking about Sophia Esteed?" Peppita asked.

"Yes…how do you know her?" the other female asked.

" She was my friend, we went out to fight the bad guys, about...a day ago. Sophia beat one of em'…then I dunno, I was unconscious in a pile of rock," Peppita recalled.

"Were you part of the group that defeated Luther?" the male asked.

"Er…yeah," Peppita replied. How did they know about Luther? Normal civilians shoudn't know about him…

"Then…you know…you know Fayt! Where is he, is he safe, did he really kill the President with the Traydor girl? Tell Me!!" the blue haired woman yelled. She shook Peppita violently.

Peppita opened her mouth to speak when they heard a huge explosion above them. An Oso tank, how the hell did they get to fit an Oso down here? No matter, it fired. Everyone scrambled to dodge the blast, but most of the Marines got caught in the blast. They didn't have a chance. It broke through the wall next to the doorway atop the staircase.

John glanced over and saw twitching bodies and lifeless ones. "DAMN!" he yelled. Kian held him back.

"Sir we gotta survive, we gots to!" Kian reasoned. "If we die their lives'll be in vain!" Kian begged. Enemies were crowding down from the stairs again. Too many.

"Damn it!" the blue haired lady swore. She cocked her assault rifle, it had a scope on it. She fired with deadly precision and accuaracy. It seemed her equipment was very high tech. The Oso fired again, no harm this time.

"1…2…3…4…5…5 minutes!" the male yelled. The Oso fired again. It caught more unarmed Marines.

"What are you talking about?" the blue haired lady asked.

"5 minutes, 5 minutes is the reload time!" he exclaimed.

"Of course…hey John!" She yelled.

"What!" he snarled.

"Can you give me cover? I'm going in," she said.

"I dunno what the hell you're gonna do, but what the hell, men give her some cover!" John yelled. He reloaded and waited for the signal.

"I'll go first,"-Peppita said-"I prefer hand-to hand anyways."

"OK," she replied.

"Wait for it…wait for it," the man said. The Oso fired, nearly getting them. "NOW!" he yelled as the blast was over.

Peppita sprang out and ascended up the stairs and began punching and kicking at the soldiers. Her movements were too quick for them, her movements sharpened by the 4D realm. She was tossing soldiers off the staircase left to right.

"2 Minutes!" the man yelled. The blue-haired lady shot at the stragglers that Peppita left behind.

"We'll make it, we have to!" the brown haired lady exclaimed. They scrambled up the stairs, ignoring the fatigue they began to felt. They saw the Oso perched on the ledge. Half of it protruding thorough the wall on one side. The other half protruding on the other side.

Peppita was vicious now, she was brutally smacking the soldiers on the way up. Her body ached, it had received two shots stopped by her armor, but she got clipped on the side, where the armor was thinner. She could feel the wound and it hurt, a lot.

"10 seconds!!" the man yelled.

"HELL!!" John yelled. He ran into the open and began shooting at the Oso the blasts being absorbed by the tank's armor.

"5…4…3…2…1…damn!!" the man yelled. But the gun didn't fire at them, it fired at John. The blast sped toward him, and engulfed him in the yellow blast. When the blast was cleared… there was a smoking piece of slag that replaced him. The ground was also singed. It turned towards Peppita and Co. It hadn't seen them. The gunner was cursing furiously. There were three soldiers left that aimed at them, they shot. Peppita got struck, and the bullet went through her…She gasped a little and felt her pulse...as if time had slowed.

She was thrown backwards. Her companions immediately shot at the enemies, killing them. The brunette stopped to help her and examined the wound. She unclipped a small med kit on her belt and went to work to get the bullet out. "Damn it! If it was a phase shot I'd only have to inject her!" she yelled. The blue haired woman didn't listen. She snapped a bomb onto the Oso's belly. She jumped backwards and detonated it. The tank blew up, taking the soldiers along with them. She smiled grimly to admire her work.

She sighed and examined Peppita, she took her helmet off. She had green eyes, and her face showed a little sign of aging.

"Ryoko, we gotta hurry, the dropship should be there by now, we gotta haul some serious ass! And Peppita needs some serious medical attention!" the woman yelled.

"I know," she said. She gritted her teeth and turned to the Marines still on the detention level. "Kian! We have to go now!"

"Y-yeah, m-men let's go, you guys got the President?" he asked shakily. The few Marines that were left crowded around Kian and slowly nodded. The unarmed men grabbed weapons from the dead as they ascended the stairs.

"Are, are you okay kid?" Ryoko Leingod asked. She grabbed the young man by the arm and looked at him.

"I'm, I'm fine, let's keep moving, we gotta live through this,"-he turned away then stopped-"Oh Miss? That person…Fayt? He dint kill the president, cuz she's alive and kickin'," He walked on, the Marines following him silently.

Ryoko turned around and saw the President walking, supported by two Marines. She smiled weakly at Ryoko before walking on.

"Alright let's go!" she yelled and led them to the ship. Halfway there Ryoko stopped. As soon as they cleared the next flight of stairs they stared down a white hallway, with bright light. Everything was perfectly still and quiet. Their fast breaths could be heard though.

"M'am?" Kian asked.

"It's too quiet," she said softly. Then she heard a gun cock as, men seemed to appear from the walls. " I see the cloaking works," she said softly.

"Yeah, hell it does, what's the password?" the man asked.

"Leingod."

Other soldiers armed similarly to Ryoko, appeared from the wall similarly like the first one.

"Cleared the El-Zee for ya' m'am, lemme tell you it wasn't easy," the soldier said, in a much more relaxed tone.

"Cut the crap soldier, we better load up, we got a lot of men, and besides there are gonna be more coming soon," Ryoko said sternly.

"Y-yes m'am," he stuttered. She walked on to the ship tiredly, Kian behind her. They walked to the end of the hall, with a hole blown in the wall. The hole led into a metallic landing, a ship.

"Bloody Hell woman, You said it was a dropship, not a bloody Combat Explorer!" Kian exclaimed.

"Shut up Kian! Clive I had a hunch that Sophia's been captured by those Nedians," Ryoko said as the man entered. His wife sat down beside him in the loading area. She squeezed his hand tightly.

Kian smirked weakly and walked off, a little depressed, He was no doubt shaken by John's death.

"Yeah I thought so too, good news though, the President's alive, Fayt is innocent," he said sadly.

"Yeah it's good news, I hope Peppita will be alright," she said as another Marine walked in, with the little girl in his arms.

"Bring her to the Medical Wing, ask any soldier you see," Clive replied. The loading door closed and the three peered out the window. The Marine nodded and followed Kian onto the observation deck. The ship's engines powered up and drove them away to the city's outskirts.

* * *

Elicoor, October 30th, SD 772; 10:00 hours

Fayt Leingod stirred in his bed and got up. He dragged his feet to the bathroom and showered up and brushed his teeth. When he got out, he saw Cliff, just getting up.

"Yo, how ya feeling?" Cliff asked.

"I'm just gonna walk around the embassy a bit," Fayt said as he threw a new shirt on.

"Alright, just don't leave the embassy alright? Those Greetonians are still lookin' for you guys," he said sternly.

"Just like old times right?" Fayt asked.

"Yep, but don't worry I'll save your scrawny butt as usual if ya' get into trouble," Cliff joked in a much softer tone. Cliff fell back on his bed and instantly fell asleep.

"Yeah, yeah!" he yelled back. He closed the door behind him. He clambered down the grand staircase and saw Maria. This piqued his interest for _some _reason. He quickened his pace and followed her down the hall. He saw her blue hair whip behind her, and walked to the door she entered. Outside there was a sign, 'Training Room'.

Fayt peered inside and examined the room. On one side a rack of swords were perched. On the other wall were spears, bows, Sais and a gaggle of weapons. On the far wall, was a mirror. The floor was made up of some type of cushioned material, to break a person's fall.

Fayt tiptoed in, to not alert Maria of his presence. She timidly picked a bastard sword from the rack. She weighed it in her arms and found it too heavy. She picked a long sword instead. She felt it again, and found it much lighter. However she put it back. She pulled a katana and slashed the air first. She found it much more favorable.

Maria had liked this one more, because her father used to be a sword-junkie. He also used to practice the old Eastern Japanese style. Using the long curved blade, and simple hilt.

"Thinking of switching weapons?" Fayt asked.

Maria dropped the sword and spun around. She was instantly brought out of her trance. "Fayt! H-How long have you been there?" Maria stammered.

"Oh not too long, need a sparring partner?" Fayt asked, smiling.

"Umm, err, Sure?" Maria stammered, again.

"Well ok, you know what they say, the best way to learn is experience," he said. He brought out his sword and assumed his battle stance. Maria shrugged and held her blade loosely at her side. She had her front leg out, while balancing most of her weight on her back leg. Fayt swung at her and she just whipped the katana quickly to stop the attack.

She smiled, and adjusted her footing, as she tried lunging at him. Fayt only smiled as he sidestepped and threw a side kick at her stomach. She was thrown backward and grunted.

"Ahhhh…I'll git you next time," she said groggily. Someone was clapping in the doorway.

"Nice try fool, but not good enough," said Albel.

"Albel, go to hell," Maria said.

"Love you too maggot, you have to be quick,"-Albel said, then he took out his blade and leapt at Fayt-"Like this!" He unleashed a flurry of strikes at Fayt. Fayt deftly dodged and parried his hits.

"Maria, watch how he doesn't dwell on one move, he uses a move to try to create an opening, while the next strike he pounces," Fayt said. Albel tried again but Fayt blocked again. "Nice try yourself mate, gettin' a little better!" he jested.

"And-Using the katana you focus on speed ya' maggot," Albel said. He had to rely on every piece of his cunning to stop Fayt. Fayt had this unseeable grace. With every strike he grew in power. Every blow made him stronger. If you hit him really hard, he'll throw it back at you. 10-fold. Albel sensed this and found it strange.

In an amazing piece of swordsmanship, Fayt beat Albel. Albel attempted to strike Fayt's neck, but Fayt parried by bringing his blade over his back. Then in a flash he smacked Albel's hand with the flat of his sword. Albel was forced to drop it and held his hands in surrender.

"Checkmate," Fayt said and grinned. So the three went through another hour or so of mindless practice. After about 100 shouts of 'Hold your stance maggot!' or 'I expect more you worm!' they stopped.

"Phew, I'm hungry," Maria sighed.

"Yeah, me too let's get some grub, you comin' Albel?" Fayt asked.

"Bah! I need to keep training," Albel spat.

"Okay pal, we'll see you later then," Fayt said cheerfully. He wanted to piss Albel off.

"I AM NOT YOUR PAL!!" Albel screamed.

"Whatever you say…buddy!" Fayt yelled and he grabbed Maria's hand and ran out before Albel could kill them. Maria blushed as she was pulled out of the room , looking at Fayt's hand. A katana flew out of the room and got stuck in the wall. "Missed us!!" Fayt taunted.

"MAGGOTTT!!" he yelled down the hall. After running a spell or two Fayt stopped, panting.

"F-Fayt, slow down, you're hurting my wrist!" Maria said.

Fayt turned around and looked at his hand, tightly grasping hers. "S-Sorry," he said quickly as his hand shot away from hers. "Er…let's get some lunch," Fayt said. She nodded and they walked to the lunch room.

* * *

"CLIFFF!!" Fayt yelled, as he dashed into the room.

"Flyingcows!!" Cliff yelled stupidly. Cliff bolted upright from his bed, with his eyes wide open.

"What? No!! Not time to talk about Cows!!" Fayt exclaimed wildly.

"Uh-sorry, so what's up?" Cliff asked nonchalantly. He fell back on his bed.

"I have to talk to you, man-to-man, this is serious!"

"Alright, I'm listening," Cliff said seriously. He eyed Fayt, very seriously.

"I-uh I kissed Maria," Fayt said. As soon as he finished, Cliff punched him through the wall.

"Oh shit!!" Cliff roared as soon as he realized what he had done.

* * *

In the girls' room…

Maria burst into the room crying and flung herself on her bed. Nel walked out of the bathroom at the same time. She just barely leapt back to get out of Maria's way.

"Maria! What's wrong?" Nel asked. She had never seen Maria this vulnerable before. She wasn't one to display her emotions. There was only one possible answer…Fayt.

"I…I…I don't wanna talk about it," she said, through tears. She quickly wiped them away and threw herself on her bed.

"W-Was it Fayt?" Nel asked.

Maria turned over on her side and looked at Nel. "Y-Yeah…he…he kissed me," she said.

"Then why are you crying, shouldn't you be happy?"

"Well…he kinda stopped, and said sorry."

"Well then don't you think that maybe it's cause he thought you didn't like him."

"Why would he think that?"

"Ask yourself the question, I think that you both are just afraid of rejection."

" I uh…hmm Nel you're pretty wise."

"Thank you,"-she paused, and smiled mischeviously-"Did you like it?"

"I didn't hate it," she replied, smiling devilishly.

"Alright, that's the spirit! So…what happened?

"Alright, here's what happened…" Maria squealed, like the teenager she was.

* * *

Back in the boys' room….

"Fayt! You okay pal?" Cliff asked.

"I'm fine budddyyy!!" Fayt yelled, drunkenly. His voice resonated from somewhere within the wall. Cliff pried him out of the wall, and gave him a minute to relax.

"So, umm what did you do?" Cliff asked. He sat on his hands, and smiled nervously at Fayt. Fayt, who had a big bruise on his forehead only smiled pleasantly.

"I-Promise not to hit me?" Fayt asked.

"Fine," Cliff asked disappointedly.

"Well you see Maria and I just finished training when we went into the mess hall…" Fayt began to explain.

About an hour earlier…

Maria and Fayt entered the mess hall and found that the Elicoorian food was quite good. The cook had reuben sandwiches and a 'kick ass' lasagna according to some dude eating next to them. Maria got the sandwich, it was nice and greasy…but not too greasy. And the cheese was perfectly melted. It was delicious, the fries weren't bad either.

Fayt got the lasagna…it was bone dry. He put it back and got another sandwich.

"Dumb ass drunk…" Fayt muttered, angrily as he sat down. He looked at the man that recommended the lasagna with a 6 pack of beer on the table.

Maria laughed and Fayt smiled. "Haha, a little grumpy?" she asked.

"Yeah, a little…hey let's have a staring contest!" Fayt exclaimed.

"What! Why?"

"Because, oh I don't know, just come on!!"

"Oh ok, fine," Maria shot back at him. She blinked twice and closed them a third time. She shut them tight and waited a bit.

"1…2…3…now!" Fayt exclaimed and they both opened their eyes.

They stared for only a couple seconds until Maria blinked.

"Haha, I win!!" Fayt exclaimed. He puffed out his chest, to signify his victory.

"Bleh," Maria said. As she stuck her tongue out at him.

'Wow…that was really cute…Arghh…hormones…" Fayt thought as he only laughed at her.

"Maria, how do you pull it off?" Fayt asked.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, and blinked innocently.

"I mean how do you pull off the whole unemotional thing…wait that didn't come out right," Fayt said. He mulled it over then spoke again. "How do you…remain calm in dire situations, but your emotions are clear," he said slowly.

"Oh…"-she said shortly, and looked out the window-"Do you remember that time after the we came back from the Shrine of Kaddan?"

"Umm I think so….refresh my memory."

"When…when I talked to you about my past?"

"Oh yeah, I never told you that I appreciate that you can confide in me."

"Oh don't worry about it, I never thanked you for being a confidant. I've actually never told anyone else about it, except for Cliff and Mirage," she replied.

"Yeah…umm thanks, so you were saying?"

"Er…right! So you see, when I first arrived on the Diplo, I cried non-stop all the time. No matter what anybody said, I just sobbed and sobbed. I always wallowed in my own misery. But I realized that crying, or letting my emotions go haywire, wouldn't solve anything. Besides I knew that my parents wouldn't want me to be an unstable emotional child. And I knew that they wouldn't want me to be sad. And..and I knew that they wouldn't want me crying," she finished, with a smile.

"Wow…I'm really sorry you had to go through something like that…as a kid," Fayt said.

"Hey don't worry about it."

"I want you to know…that you aren't alone anymore. We have the same err…condition. And I want you to know that I'm here for you," he said. He looked at her confidently and grabbed her hand. Fayt looked at her then she suddenly realized that Fayt's face was coming closer to hers. He leaned acoss the table and got closer and closer. Then…magic, her whole body was tingling with sensation. But then…it was gone.

She opened her eyes to see a wide-eyed Fayt. Her face was twisted in confusion and pain when she opened her eyes to look at him. "M-Maria, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!!" he apologized and dashed up the stairs. She was left alone by herself.

"God damn it Fayt, why did you stop?" she muttered silently and wiped the tears that were slowly falling.

Back in the room…

"Ok…touching, really, so why the hell did you stop? It sounds like you were both really into it," Cliff asked.

"I uhh….she didn't like it I could tell…I was into it…she just didn't feel up to it," he said sadly.

"How the hell would you know? Have you ever kissed a girl before?" Cliff asked.

"Yeah, don't you remember Sophia? And I remembered how I felt and I could tell she wasn't into it. And when I pulled away…she had an awful look on her face."

"Maybe she was wondering why you stopped!" Cliff exclaimed.

"Uh..no…its….impossib- OH SHIYYYTTTT!! I gotta go apologize!!" Fayt exclaimed. He grabbed his shoes and made towards the door. He ran into a huge blond blob, Cliff.

"Hold on bud, you gotta give her time to chill, and dude you like broke her heart, just think. You are the last person she wants to see right now, so wait until tomorrow," he said seriously.

"Yeah…you're right, I'll get up early tomorrow morning and bring her flowers and tell her that I am a dumbass…hey wait how do you know so much about shit like this?"

"Err…let's just call it experience, mate," Cliff replied, scratching his head. Fayt looked at him funnily then made towards the bathroom.

"Alright, be all mysterious,"-he said and waved his hands mystically-" I'm gonna take a shower."

"That''s right, just...get some time to cool down," he said. Fayt grunted in response and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

October 31st, 02:00 hours; SD 772. Outside The Greetonian City

"Damn primitive planet," a soldier in golden armor grunted as he walked along the dirt path.

"Shut up, we have orders!" another man yelled. He wore green heavt armor and wielded a long spear, double bladed on either side.

"Y-Yes Lord Jyril!" the soldier replied.

"HEY! You don't answer to him! You answer to me damn it!" another man yelled. He had a long rifle on his back and wore brass knuckles. Funny, an offworlder would wear brass knuckles...

"Y-Yes Cap'n Stern!" the beleaguered soldier yelled in reply.

Jyril walked toward Stern and looked him straight in the face. Both equal in height, about 6' 3''. The whole troop looked on in amusement at their two COs.

"Got a problem with me Stern?" Jyril asked.

"Yes, you are bossing my troop around, when I am still in command!!" he yelled at him. He was growing red.

Jyril looked at him calmly,"Better keep quiet, you'll wake the townspeople," he said cockily.

"Bah! Just stay out of my way, and let's just get this damn mission over with, when we hitting the town?"

Jyril looked at his watch, " In about 5 hours, best get some rest fer now," he replied. He sat down by some rock in the forest they were in and then lowered him self to the grounf. He began to snore...quite loudly too.

"You heard him, get some rest boys, alternate shifts, first shift gets 2 hours second gets 2, we get ready by the last hour, now get to it!" he yelled. His soldiers scrambled to work, getting out the sleeping bags and such.

* * *

A/N: There we go, like I said more questions! Stick with me to the end and you'll see, I might even write a sequel! R&R!!


	9. Chapter 8: Action

A/N: Alright things are about to pick up guys. PhoenixHelix you are my man!! Thanks for the reviews pal. You other people...disgust me, jk. I need more reveiws though!!

Discalimer: I don't own shit

* * *

**Chapter 8: Action**

Peppita awoke and looked around she was in a cool silver medical facility. There was a med-droid tending to other patients in the ward. It was actually quite big, and nearly all the beds were full. Only 2 were empty. It was very simple. There were just rows of beds, and IVs next to each one. Then at the end of the room there was a single desk with a bunch of complicated medical items. Then there was a huge cabinet behind the desk, which probably had more medical items within it.

Peppita blinked and thought, "This isn't the Rebel Base…were we captured?"

The droid somehow sensed Peppita awoke and walked, or actually, hovered toward her. The med droid had a steel face, with slits black slits for its eye receptors. Then there was a slit for a mouth, for its mouth receptor. "Miss Peppita, how are you feeling, I think you should get some rest," its voice said coolly in a very mechanical tone.

"Umm, yeah, hey err, what should I call you?"

"Just KT-14," it said, just as unemotional as before.

"Ummm, is it ok if I call you Kay-Tee?" she asked, timidly.

"Whatever suits you, miss."

"Ok KT, where am I? Where is everyone? Kian? John? And that Lady?"

"I am sorry Miss, I don't know, let me call Madame Leingod."

"Ok,"-she paused then jumped up furiously-"Leingod? Her name wouldn't happen to be Ryoko, would it?"

"Why that is correct, are you acquainted with her? No matter, I will get someone to fetch her for you."

"Thank you KT," Peppita exclaimed. Just as he said that Ryoko herself entered the room.

"Ah Madam Leingod! I was just gonna send for you," KT said, you guessed it, unemotionally.

"Ah, for what reason KT? You aren't one to look for company," Ryoko asked bemusedly.

"Very funny m'am, but Miss Peppita just awoke. She was looking for you, and asked to see you when she awoke."

"Peppita! You're ok!! You had us terrified after that bullet struck you," Ryoko said. She walked over to her bedside, and looked very motherly at the little girl.

"Oh my! Is that what happened? I just felt a sharp pain…then nothing until I woke up now,"-she said and there was an awkward silence-"Mrs. Leingod…where are we?"

"Will you walk with me Peppita? We have lots to talk about…if you're able that is."

"Oh yeah I'm fine!" she exclaimed and jumped out of bed.

"What a speedy recovery, let's go," she said very kindly. "KT, I'm taking Peppita out, is that fine?"

"Of course let me just check her," KT said. As he did he moved toward Peppita and pointed his arm at her. His arm suddenly morphed into some sort of gun. Peppita flinched then broke out in laughter as some sort of beam went over her.

"HAHAHAHA! Stop! That tickles!!" Peppita gasped. KT lifted his hand which morphed into a portable screen. It displayed Peppita's vitals.

"Hmmm…Heart rate is regular…the wound wasn't too deep, and is beginning to seal up…just don't overexert yourself. She's good to go m'am," KT replied.

"Alright thanks KT, let's go Peppita," Ryoko said, and offered her hand to the small girl. They left the room and the walls opened with a sharp hiss. Peppita wouldn't have even guessed the door was there. The facility was indeed high tech.

They exited into the hall, completely silver…very high tech. Peppita only gawked in awe.

"So Mrs. Leingod…where are we? And what happenned back at the Military Garrison?"

"We are in an underground facility 700 miles beneath the Earth's surface. We're using it as a Rebel Base for now. The electronics are completely untraceable due to the depth of the facility. This was actually an old lab Robert and I completed…just before he…passed away," she said. She ended with a sniffle, and smiled again.

"Oh I'm so sorry….OH!"

"What's the matter?" Ryoko asked very alarmed.

"I…I just realized…I've been calling you 'Mrs.' the whole time!!"

"It's quite alright, you can keep calling me that…I prefer it anyway. Oh and to answer your second question...we got out just fine. We got out because John was a true hero...and sacrificed himself.," she said and smiled.

"O-Ok," she said, and stood awkwardly. "So were your two friends, the ones who helped rescue us, Sophia's parents? And...so...John is dead?"

"Yeah, they were let's, just hope that Sophia is ok. And...sadly yes...I know that he saved you."

The little girl looked shocked and fought back tears.

"Yeah, me too. And...we'll avenge John's loss!" Suddenly electronic klaxons began to ring and blare very loudly.

"Ryoko…we just found the signature of a tracking device in the Med Wing…that means someone knows where we are," Clive said through Ryoko's comm..

"What? A Rat!"

"Come on let's head back!!" Peppita yelled. They burst into the room and Ryoko yelled at KT.

"KT run a tracker scan in this room," she yelled.

"M'am?" it replied innocently.

"Just do it!"

KT's eye receptors turned red first then turned back to normal, a second later.

"Got him!" he said. He hovered to a bedside and shook the soldier on the bed awake.

"Wuzzgoinon?" he asked.

"We know that you're the rat! Confess!" Ryoko yelled.

"Ryoko Leingod, target confirmed," the soldier suddenly said mechanically. It sprang for Ryoko's neck. Peppita kicked the soldier across the room and into the wall. A few soldiers woke up and some swore.

"Its…its an Android!!" Ryoko exclaimed.

"Yeah…but how did it get past the sensors?" KT asked. He looked on in wonder then he scanned the body. "Ingenious, something that surpasses anything you could invent m'am!"

"Grr, I bet it's that damn Nedian tech! They probably set it up in case someone went to rescue them…and we fell for it. Damn! They could be on us right now!" As if in response to Ryoko, a loud 'Boom' sounded somewhere in the facility.

"It's them!" Peppita yelled.

"M'am my sensors indicate that an enemy has breached the security, they've gathered in force too…I estimate…1000 soldiers…10 tanks…and 20 other combat vehicles," KT said.

"Damn! Clive! Clive are you ok?" she yelled through her comm..

"Ryoko it's bad!! They just breached the level we're on…I'm giving the evac code!! I've already doubled the troops in the hangar and the pilots are powering up the ships already," he yelled through his comm..

"Alright, meet you there," she replied. "MARINES!!" she yelled. All the soldiers awoke and looked confused.

"M'am?" a soldier asked. The voice belonged to Kian.

"Kian, assemble your men…the ones that can fight can step through that door to the armory," she said. KT stepped to another wall and it opened…again. A bevy of guns and armor hung in compact racks, that was scientifically impossible. Then again…this was Universe-Reknown Genius Ryoko Leingod we're talking about.

"Alright Peppita let's load up!"

"Yes m'am!" Kian could be heard yelling over all the Marines telling them what to do.

"Kian! Tell the ones who can't fight to run straight to the hangar, here you go!" She tossed a communicator with a map of the lab. He then tossed it to the man that was leading the injured. A group of 20 soldiers joined the unarmed lads.

"Alright let's go Kian, we might have a major fight on our hands here," Ryoko said grimly. She grabbed some gear from the armory. She got gear for Peppita, so the girl wouldn't be crushed by the bevy of Marines. She was adjusting Peppita's suit, when a huge explosion ripped the far door open. Golden armored men could be spotted, and bursts of energy were shot into the room.

"Damn! They've gotten in this far? Give 'em hell boys!!" Kian yelled, at the top of his lungs.

* * *

Fayt looked around and he was in the middle of the Greetonian City, buildings were crumbling all around him. Then he saw Maria in front of him. But there were tons of golden-clad soldiers around him. She futily shot at them. Cliff behind him was yelling "DAMN IT!!"

Nel was unconscious on the ground behind a huge piece of rubble, while Albel had his hands up in surrender, "Maggots.." he said. There were tons of soldiers surrounding them. He saw a man in green armor snag her and then they disappeared. A transporter beam surrounded them and they were beamed somewhere.

"NO!!" he yelled. His eyes glowed blue and he suddenly wielded two swords…his Veinsley and Silvance. Each blade grew blue and he ripped through all the soldiers on the street, tearing everyone apart. At once he seemed he was in place then he was in another.

His speed was ungodly…his strength unparalleled. Then when all the soldiers were killed he faced the sky. He released a huge burst of energy, it tore apart the street. Then a clear blue blast shot upwards from him. It was like a huge pillar rising to the heavens. It was the most beautiful sight one could ever hope to see. Fayt was an Angel of Death indeed.

It shot past the atmosphere and jetted into space. It Sped towards three ships. One huge one, and two small ones on either side.

The blast then split into two and blew up the smaller ones. Then…Fayt woke up. He was being shaken awake by Cliff. Fayt was thrashing around wildly in bed.

* * *

"Fayt! Fayt! Wake Up!!" he yelled. He began slapping the young man in the face.

"Ah!!" Fayt yelled as he rolled off his bed. He looked up menacingly at Clff.

"Mornin'," Cliff said, looking at him bemusedly.

"WHAT THE HELL!!"

"Well you were thrashing around in your sleep kinda funny actually," Cliff chuckled. He took out his communicator set to 'Video' and was watching Fayt's escapade. Then he looked at him seriously. "What were you dreaming about though?"

"Honestly? I was dreaming…about…Maria," he said.

"Woah…like a wet dream?" Cliff asked with a funny grin.

"NO! I dreamt that…that she'd be taken away like kidnapped right in front of us. And we were helpless to stop them…"

"OK…but it was just a dream…right?"

"Y-Yeah…just a dream…it was in this city though. Everything was collapsing and I went beserko…except I had control this time, I dunno."

"Listen Fayt, don't dwell on it. A Fella told me once that if a man tries to prevent the Future then it will only happen because of what you tried to do. Ya get me?"

"Yeah I hear ya' but…I got to do something, like…can I go see her now?"

"Sure, she should be more calm now…just tread carefully."

"Of course, I'm me," he said arrogantly.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Cliff replied. Fayt stuck a tongue out at him and rushed out the door. When he got out he noticed that the hall was empty and simply shrugged. Then when he walked on to the Grand Staircase, he noticed that almost everyone was scrambling in the lobby. Everything was in disarray.

He knew something was wrong when he saw Aquarian and Glyphian soldiers trooping out. He saw a familiar blonde head and red bob behind the soldiers. He sprinted down the stairs to try and reach them but, a man bumped into him running up the stairs. Fayt held him back.

"Hey, pal what's going on?" he asked.

"You didn't hear the huge blast this morning?"

"No."

"How didn't you! I mean- never mind. I'm wasting too much time. There are some strange intruders with weird but godly weapons! They seem…I daresay…_otherworldly_."

"Thanks pal," he said. When he turned around the man was already gone. He was going to go back to the room to tell Cliff, but stopped. Albel and Cliff were already walking toward him. Albel was putting on a red full samurai suit, minus the helmet. He was tightening his gauntlets, with Cliff behind him. Albel held another sword, not his.

"Maggot, I suspect you already know what's going down," Albel said.

"Yeah some guy told me."

"Alright, Fayt. Albel just told me that we're expecting a big battle here. The intruders…they're the Nedians. They're here for you and Maria," he said grimly.

"I got ya'…Albel what's the other sword for?"

"It's yours maggot! You left in Airyglyph after Boyd made you that new one. When I was gonna give it to that fool, he said that only you could wield the Veinslay or shit, I dunno! Just take it damn it!!"

"OK," he said. Cliff told him he'd need some armor too. He brought out his communicator and set it to 'replicator'. He just replicated a golden carbonite plate, and threw it over his black combat suit. Cliff did the same. They descended to the bottom only to find a unit ready for them.

"Lord Albel, we're your unit to command, what do you want us to do?" the captain asked.

Fayt, Albel and Cliff only smiled at each other. Albel and Cliff began walking out the door. Fayt shrugged and followed. "Just stay out of the way maggots! Reinforce another unit!" Albel howled. They got onto the street and then reached a gate. A huge troop of soldiers guarded the way.

"Sir we have them held up that way, we're getting crushed though," the gatekeeper said.

"Alright we'll see what we can do," Cliff said. He powered up his gauntlets. "DAMN! Guys I feeeeel good!! Let's kick some ass!!"

"Maggot…I can agree with you for once," Albel replied.

"Guys don't forget we have to find Maria and make sure she's safe."

"Awww is wittle Fayt boo boo bear worried about his girly?" Albel teased.

"Shut Up- duck!!" Fayt suddenly yelled. He tackled Albel to the ground. An Aquarian soldier was thrown at them from ahead. They looked up the road and saw a huge amount of Nedians tearing the street apart.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiittt! There's an ass load of maggots," Albel said. They heard a bunch of footsteps behind them. Albel turned around and eyed the soldier from earlier. He put a hand on his sword. "Where were you fools? I told you to come with us to help!"

"B-But sir you said-," the hopeless soldier stammered.

"I told you to follow us! You can't expect us to take care of ALL of them. You act _**like **_I _**told**_ you to stay out of the way," Albel smirked.

"B-But…never mind, yes sir, right away," he replied. He loaded the ancient rifle he held. He gestured to them to follow suit. A motley crew of swordsmen and riflemen stood ready.

"Alright guys, let's give them hell," Fayt said. He brandished his two swords and slowly walked forward. (Heavy Metal Music begins playing in the background)

"Cliff you fool, put that damn racket away!!" Albel barked. Cliff whimpered and put away his communicator set to 'music'. He adjusted his gauntlets and got ready to fight.

* * *

"NEL!" Maria yelled as she saw Nel get shot by a direct blast from a Nedian gun. Nel was thrown backward and she lay crumpled against a building wall. Nel was out cold. Maria cast a healing spell on her quickly and pulled her away to a safer place.

Things were definitely looking grim. Aquarian soldiers were falling right to left. They did put up a fight though. The Nedians were caught off guard when the Aquarians engaged them in close quarters. Maria took out the katana she borrowed and got back to work. She noticed how 4D space had certainly sharpened her reflexes.

She was dodging left and right, and striking killing blows. She striked ruthlessly, and her inexperience wasn't noticeable. However, every Nedian she took, they took three Aquarians. Her allies were dwindling and it wasn't good. To make matters worse another group were coming down the road.

She breathed deeply and forgot that she was surrounded by enemies. She tapped into her powers. She had been toying with this for a while now. She called it Stage 1. She opened her eyes, she felt it. Her eyes weren't glowing, but power was flowing.

Her Alteration powers were flowing, brimming, ready to manifest. She was changing the structure of her feet so she could move faster. She was changing the air molecules to allow bursts of energy to flow from her palms. Then, she _moved_. In a burst of un-humane speed she gracefully struck quickly around the group. She moved like she was dancing cutting and slashing, men falling and crumbling. Then she moved her hands upwards. And a pillar of ice gashed the men unfortunate to be under that patch of ground.

As she looked back all the Nedians were left twitching on the ground. The group ahead looked on in horror except for the two men at the head of the group. They both chuckled.

"Impressive, quite impressive indeed," the man in green armor said.

"Raw power at its best, or is there more?" the man wearing brass knuckles said.

"Plenty more, come closer and I'll show you," Maria replied coolly.

"Oho, a challenge, I'll take this one Jyril," the man wearing brass knuckles said.

"So why would an offworlder as yourself be wearing brass knuckles?" Maria asked.

"I'm an offworlder am I? So are you one too?"

"Yes…what's that matter?"

"Everything."

"Hmm?" She adjusted her footing and waited for him to strike. As soon as he saw him move, she struck with lightning quick speed at the man's neck. He brought his brass knuckled to block.

He laughed, "Oh yeah these aren't brass knuckles. They're the polished teeth of a dragon that I killed." Maria looked at him incredulously. And struck again. The man dodged this time. He used the opening to punch at Maria. He got her in the ribs and she winced in pain.

"Damn," she whispered. She closed her eyes and went into 'Stage 2'. She felt it instantly and went at it again. She lunged her katana and got him back. She felt the end of the katana pierce the golden armor. She dug it deeper but the man grabbed the blade and stopped it. He brought his other hand above his head and then he broke the blade with his dragon-knuckles.

Maria gasped and then brought out her gun. She shot 5 rapid bursts at the hole in the man's armor. He shrieked in pain as he fell to the floor. He wasn't done yet. He gestured to his men and the other big man. The man with the huge double ended spear instantly lunged at Maria's neck. She conjured an ice pillar in time to stop the attack. Then the Aquarians sprang back into action as they saw the Nedians step up.

Maria continued dodging the Green Armored man, who was flinging his spear around wildly. In the man's rampage he was tearing apart the last few Aquarians. To make matters worse, more Nedians were coming from down the road.

Maria's fatigue was threatening to overcome her. Beads of sweat rolled down her face. She felt a growing cramp down on her lower abdomen. The giant man tackled her down to the ground. Then the man ruthlessly raised his spear and was about to bring it down. Maria encased herself in an ice cocoon. She felt the impact as the spear came down. She was waiting him to strike again, when the man screamed out in agony.

She was wondering what was going on. When she felt her cocoon heaved up by two or three men.

She heard a man say, "Beam us up now damn it!!" She heard the man argue for a second then she burst out of her cocoon. The ice formed into sharp icicles and shot outward. They plunged themselves deep within her advararies. She looked around and saw herself facing the big green armored man. He had a huge icicle sticking out of his thigh. She also saw what looked like a laser weapon sticking through the man's huge arm. He was a bloody mess, but it didn't seem to hinder him.

"Men! Grab her! We're getting out of here!!" he yelled. She glanced around and quickly futily shot at the soldiers around her. She heard a loud shout of 'Maria!' and looked up. It was Fayt.

"Fayt!! Help!!" she shouted but was hoisted by one of the soldiers on to their soldiers.

* * *

Fayt couldn't believe his eyes, everything was coming true. Even after he threw the laser weapon at the man, he was still standing.

"Cliff! Cliff! This was my dream, everything is happening!!" he cried.

"What? We gotta do something before they get to us!"

"Look around fool…they already have," Albel shot. He rose his hands in surrender. The Nedians had their group surrounded. Just like in Fayt's dream, Maria and the big green man was beamed up.

"NO!!" Fayt yelled. Then his eyes glowed bright blue, brighter than ever before. He brandished his sword, and the one Albel gave to him. The Nedians stepped back a step, but kept their guns up.

Albel looked on in horror, he had witnessed this before. He was afraid of the maggot blowing up the city! "Hey maggot calm down! E-Everything will be fine…we'll g-get her back!"

Fayt didn't answer. He began to rise in the air, his angel wings formed on his back. His two swords began to glow blue. Their clear blades adapted to the energy coursing through them.

"Albel, don't worry…he said to me that he had a dream of this…he said he was in control, let's…let's give him a chance," Cliff said. Albel opened his mouth to shoot a sarcastic comment but shut up. All the soldiers watched in awe as the Angel of Death looked upon them. Little did they know that he had placed a death mark on every single one of them. In a flash he disappeared.

Then he appeared in the middle of all the soldiers. He began slashing through all of them. But a half second later he was tearing others apart. And another half second later he was at it again. He was completely decimating all of the Nedians. In another second, all of them were dead. They lay on the street, limp bodies, a result of a man's grief. Was he hero? Villain? Vigilante? He didn't care, the woman he loved had been taken from him.

He walked toward Captain Stern. Stern was a limp pile of shit on the ground. He began shaking and trembling. Stern looked up at him. "W-What do you want?" he stammered.

"Revenge..," Fayt hissed. He forced the man to stand, then walked away. Stern smirked and threw a punch at Fayt's head. In a single motion, Fayt's swords came swinging across in a clockwise motion, slicing Stern's arms off.

"Arghhhh!!"

"Wrong Choice…," he aimed his two swords at Stern. In a huge burst of blue energy he tore apart more than half the street, along with Stern. Nothing was left of him and the buildings were also gone. The street gone, it left a perfectly flat plane in it's wake, as if it were all erased.

Fayt looked up skyward. Then he aimed his sword upward. He released a huge thick column of blue energy upwards. A common person looking on would have thought it was an act of god. A clear blue pillar of energy rising to the heavens. It rose into space and sped towards three ships orbiting the planet. There were two small ones and one big one, the flagship.

Cliff and Albel stood in awe. Both thought that Fayt was some sort of god.

The pillar of energy split into two beams and engulfed the two smaller ships. Fayt, somehow knew that Maria was on the flagship. The two small ships were engulfed in Symbological runes. The symbols kept appearing and appearing until the entire ship was blue, and no more symbols would fit. Then they both disappeared. Erased just like Stern and the buildings, and much like the _Invisible_ too.

"Gods Almighty…" Cliff whispered. Fayt slowly hovered to the ground. His swords both dropped to the ground. When they fell the blades fell. They were probably overpowered by the energy Fayt was releasing. Albel and Cliff walked toward him. They stepped past the pile of dead bodies, toward the kid.

"Cliff…Cliff…they took her…" he cried. He began sobbing and buried his face in his hands. He was a mess. He looked around at the dead bodies. "And…and I killed…all of them. Cliff…who…what am I?"

"Fayt…we…we gotta stay calm," Cliff stammered.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Fayt yelled. Then he blacked out and fell unconscious.

"Poor kid…" Cliff whipered. He lifted him on his shoulders and looked at Albel. Albel lifted Nel on his shoulders and looked just as grim. They walked in silence together back to the Embassy.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!" King Nede yelled. He was yelling at his helmsman.

"I…Energy Levels above…10.0, off the charts sir," the helmsman stammered.

"I don't bloody care, get us the hell out of here!!" Nede yelled.

Indalecio walked toward the enrage King on the bridge. "My Lord, Jyril has returned, he got the girl."

"What about the boy?" he spat.

"Sir…the boy was the reason your best garrison just got torn apart. That boy is the cause of the loss of your two ships. That boy almost killed Jyril…not that I care. But that boy was too much too handle. We weren't in a favored position."

"I don't give a damn!! Why didn't you go down?"

"How dare you? My _lord, _I could kill you 1000 different ways in where you stand in a second."

"What did you say?" Nede asked.

"No matter sir, and you know what I said. I didn't stutter. We have to get back to Earth quickly. Intelligence has found target Ryoko Leingod."

"I-I'll deal with you later, let's go," he spat. He got back into his command chair.

Indalecio looked at him in disgust. He turned around and walked to the room where they were holding the Esteed girl and the other one. "One more…" he thought.

* * *

A/N: OK so this Chapter was a bit grim and violent...Fayt is becoming a god-like entity. Things are developing quite well. Alright stay with me people, I promise I won't disappoint.


	10. Chapter 9: Hero

A/N: Alright guys, Here's another chapter ummm yeah. I apologize if any info bout the 10 Wise Men is wrong, I never played SO2. Umm also I didn't now Sophia's mom's name and I'm too lazy to find out so bear with me. And I forgot if the characters ever met Ryoko so once again, bear with me. So I hope I'm not asking too much as a writer and I hop you're all still with me. We're about a little more than halfway through the story so let's go.

Disclaimer: See the prev. chapters

* * *

**Chapter 9: Hero**

The Madam President stepped out of the shower. She was oblivious to the ordeal currently happening and proceeded to do all her womanly routines. She was pacing her room when a huge blast rocked the underground base.

"What the?" she said, but heard gruff voices outside her room. She quickly looked for the gun she hid, and found the spot.

"Yeah, I think she's in here, alright, enter in 1…2…3…now!" the voice exclaimed. The President was already running to the place where she had put her gun. It was a automatic shotgun with a larger barrel. Amazing what that Leingod woman could create. When the men broke in she pointed the gun right at the perpetrators.

"Woah! Big gun! Don't shoot, we're here to escort you to the hangar," the man said. It was Kian.

"KIAN! We gotta go get her now, they are down the hall!!" a woman's voice yelled. Ryoko Leingod popped her head into the room, her face concealed by the familiar blue helmet.

"Madam, I'm sorry but we have to go!"

"I understand, let's go!" They all clambered out of the room. As they were going to continue to walk down the hall, Peppita came dashing down the opposite side.

"They're coming!! Let's gooo!!" she yelled as she kept dashing down the hall. They all shrugged and followed her down the hall. A wall blew up as they were pacing down the hall.

"Damn! Find cover!!" Kian bellowed. There wasn't an ounce of cover to be found. They were in a perfectly straight hall. There weren't any crates or even debris to hide behind. The soldiers began pouring from out of the hole in the wall. Too many.

"Oh man, can't go left, can't go right,"-Ryoko muttered. She checked her map then grunted.-"Gotta go down then."

"WHAT! You're joking right? We won't survive the fall!!" the President exclaimed.

"M'am you're going to have to trust me."

"I suggest you shut up, m'am," Kian smirked.

"What how dare you?" she yelled. As the soldiers were closing in from either side, Ryoko smiled.

"See you in hell boys!" she yelled. She pointed her gun at the ground. A high intensity laser shot out, and she shot a circle around them. When she finished, she saluted them. She threw a bomb at the group on the left and then kicked the floor down. As they fell the explosion clouded the view and nothing could be seen

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" the President yelled. Everyone else pretty much remained calm. They freefalled for about a minute, then they stopped. Their bodies floated around the room for a second and everyone gasped.

"Shouldn't we have died?" Kian asked stupidly.

"Theoretically, Ryoko where are we?" Peppita asked.

"The Zero Gravity room, that's the reason I knew we'd be safe. Lemme get us down. Computer, increase gravity gradually, to cushion our descent."

"Increasing," the mechanical voice said. The group slowly got lowered to the ground. "Stopping, normal gravity has been attained."

"Alright follow me, the hangar should be close now," Ryoko said. She led them to a small door on the side. They exited into another silver hall which led to a big open area. They simply walked across and walked to big heavy steel doors. Ryoko punched a code into the keypad on the left door.

It slowly slid open to reveal three medium sized combat explorers. Each one was being prepped by a team of pilots and engineers. On the opposite end there were 10 small fighter ships, also being prepped for launch. On the opposite side of the hangar there was another opening , soldiers limping through it.

"Marine, what's the status up there?" Kian asked. He fast-walked over to the man.

"Bad sir, we lost three troops up there, we barely reached it down here," he replied. Kian thanked him and the Marines walked onto a Combat Explorer.

Ryoko spotted the Esteeds and walked over to Clive. "I'm glad your two are safe," she said, and hugged them both.

"Likewise, I'm glad you guys got the President too."

"Clive what is the status on the base?"

"Bad, I already transferred all the data to the safehouse and deleted everything here. They have every level above us, the hangar being the lowest."

"Damn. Are all personnel loaded up?"

"Yeah, there are a couple lads protecting the entrance though-," he stopped because a group of men ran through the entrance.

"Dr. Esteed!! They're coming they've broken the defensive line we set up!"

"Damn it, we need more time!"

"Clive…let's give them some time, we can take the _Dragoon_," Ryoko said. As she pointed to a secluded section of the hangar. Where there was indeed a ship.

"Hmm…alright, Kian round up some men to help, we'll use the _Dragoon_, I'll prep it up with Olivia," he said. He nodded to his wife and they went towards the ship. "Good luck guys."

"Yeah, we'll be waiting for your signal," she said and dashed down the hall-"Don't keep us waiting!"

Clive only nodded and gestured for his wife to follow. The group trekked down the hall slowly. They neared the end of the hall and saw a few crates, and dead soldiers. It could be a trap…what if the Nedians were baiting them?

"What do we do Ryoko?" Peppita asked.

"We spring the trap," she replied. She snapped a bomb off her belt and chucked it past the crates. The bomb exploded and there were screams of pain. As they turned and looked they saw dead bodies appearing. There were two men on top of the crates.

"Cloaking?" Kian asked Ryoko.

"Yes, damn it they've already snagged some of my tech. Doesn't matter now, alright get ready they probably already heard the blast," Ryoko replied. She reloaded her gun, everyone did the same.

"But what if more of them have cloaking?" Peppita asked.

"Ughh, that's highly possible…alright Peppita grab this," she said. She handed Peppita some sort of scanner.

"Err…what do I do with this?"

"It is supposed to detect traces of a special ore I used to create the cloaking shielding on the armor. You're going to have to tell us when it picks up one."

"Umm ok- wait there's a trace right now!!" she yelled. As she did multiple shots rang out from in front of them. The shots caught most of the Marines, but the armor Ryoko gave them saved them. Although, the armor did take a lot of damage.

"Where!!" Ryoko yelled. Everyone began firing wildly in front of them. They heard several grunts and three bodies became uncloaked. "Oh, there they are."

"Not too smart giving away their position like that," Kian said arrogantly.

"Wait there are more!" Peppita yelled. But it was too late, everyone felt a gun pressed to their backs.

"We're not stupid you know. Those others were decoys so we could slip around," a gruff voice said.

"Damn, we got caught," Ryoko swore.

"Ah yes, Miss Leingod, thank you for the cloaking suits, they're quite delightful," the voice said again.

"Show yourself you big bully! You're a coward if you can't show your own face!" Peppita yelled.

"Why you little-," he was interrupted by Peppita.

"Gotcha!" she said. She tracked his movements with the scanner. She leapt at the man, it seemed she was kicking air, but a loud satisfying 'thud' resounded. The man was thrown backwards. Peppita quickly brought out her rifle and shot where the man should have been.

The others used the moment to elbow their captors to escape. "Let's head to the ship now!!" Ryoko yelled.

"What if it isn't ready?" Peppita yelled.

"It doesn't matter, it's not going to be any better here!!" she yelled back. The group ran down the hall. But bursts of energy picked off the men in the back. Specifically, Kian's Marines. They always seem to be the first to die.

"Holy Jehovah boys haul some ass!!" he yelled to his men. They quickened their pace and the group found themselves in the hangar again. They ran to the _Dragoon _and dashed up the entrance ramp. The other combat explorers had already left, which left the _Dragoon_ alone in the hangar.

"Clive!! Close the entrance ramp!!" Ryoko yelled as she burst into the cockpit.

"W-What are you doing here? The prep isn't ready yet!!"

"Just do it!! And turn on the weapons system and the heat sensor I installed."

"Alright, you heard her Olivia," he said grumpily. His wife nodded and did what she was told. Olivia began punching numbers in methodical precision.

"Ryoko, what do you want us to do?" Kian asked.

"I want half of your men to guard the entrance ramp, just in case. The rest of you follow me to the gunner pods."

Everyone nodded and followed her. The _Dragoon_ was shaped like a oval, with 4 engines in the back. On either side of the ship were 4 gun pods on the top and 4 on the bottom. Amounting to a total of 16 guns, 8 guns on either side. It had 4 missile and torpedo ports on the front below the cockpit. The cockpit was at the head of the craft. The _Dragoon_ wasn't large but neither was it small. It could hold about 20 people, 25 stretching it.

The gun pods were manually gunned. Their turning radii were limited so that the guns could not shoot at each other. However it was desgined such that sum of the gun's angles were 360. Which meant no enemy was safe.

"Alright so the men should be displayed on your targeting computers. Also be careful and don't overheat the laser batteries. Alright I got one on my scope right now," she said as she pulled the trigger. Bright green laser bolts struck a spot and 2 soldiers went flying.

The troops began flooding into the room, invisible and visible. The group was hard pressed to contain them.

"Almost done," Clive's voice rang on the loudspeaker.

"Clive better hurry!! An Oso is moving in, you have about 4 minutes, considering the charge time," Ryoko replied.

"Crap…ok 3 minutes."

"Guys focus your fire on the Oso!!" Ryoko yelled. But as she said it a blast from the Oso came speeding toward them.

"Well, it's been nice knowin you guys," Kian said tragically. Everyone sighed but knew he was right. 5…4…3…2…1…'boom'. Wait why didn't they blow up?

"I did it!! The shields are on line we are ready to gooo!!" Clive yelled, uncharacteristically. They heard the engines whir to life and the ship hovered off the ground. They felt blasts from the soldiers on the ground but the shields took them with ease. The engines roared to life, and blasted them upwards to the surface.

"Alright ETA to rendezvous, 2 hours," Clive's voice rang on the loudspeaker. Everyone relaxed in their seats and took off their headsets. "Uhh Ryoko, you're kidding me right?" his voice rang again. Everyone was puzzled at what he could mean.

"Nope, I'll trust in your glorious piloting skills."

"Thanks Ryoko, you're a real pal."

The rest of the crew just sat where they were, undoubtedly lost in the dark.

"The hell you talking 'bout?" Kian asked.

"The Rendezvous is set for Expel," she said smiling.

"Wait that's like another planet," Kian stated.

"Yes Kian, Expel is another planet," she said, amusedly. Clearly she was having fun with them.

"But that means we have to get off the planet…past the Nedian blockade…" Kiam said.

"Yup," Ryoko simply stated.

"Shiiiiiiiitttt," Kian said. What on Earth was she thinking? Ryoko just reclined her chair and sat back.

"Alright guys prepare the gunpods, we're gonna see some action." Everyone was dumbstruck at her. Peppita thought, "Well I've lived a good life? Haven't I?" Ryoko only chuckled again.

* * *

"Fayt come here," Maria said to him. Fayt shyly smiled and walked over but then the scene changed. Instead of being in a field of flowers, they were in a prison cell. Maria was chained up, and bruised. Blood trickled down her neck. "F-Fayt…please save me."

"M-Maria, what have they done to you?" he asked.

"S-Save me, they're h-hurting me!!" she moaned.

Fayt opened his mouth but only woke up. Beads up sweat lined his forehead, and his whole body was throbbing in pain. He was laying on his bed in the Embassy. "Maria…" he whispered.

"Hey there, you're awake," Cliff said softly. He came through the door with a tray of food on it.

"Cliff! We gotta go! We have to rescue Maria!" Fayt yelled. He threw the blankets and sheets off himself. As he attempted to get out of bed he fell face-first onto the floor.

"Kid…" Cliff whispered softly. He watched as Fayt struggled to get his boots on. Cliff walked over and picked him up. He placed him back on his bed. Fayt was flailing around wildly again with a boot on one foot, and the other without.

"I…I couldn't save her. I couldn't stop them!!" he yelled. "You…you told me that if I didn't do anything…then shit wouldn't happen!! Well guess what? It happened!" he yelled bitterly.

"Fayt, Calm the hell down," Cliff said sternly. Fayt shut up due to the sharpness of his tone. "Stop acting like a baby and chill, some things are just meant to happen."

"But why this? I refuse to believe that there is a god out there anymore. We killed our _god. _He wasn't a savior, or someone to turn to, he was a demon!" Fayt yelled.

"Fayt, shut up, keep your head on straight. Look I know how you feel, she's like a little sister to me. I…I let them take her too. But we have to stay calm, and think rationally so we can save her. Do you understand?"

Fayt was silent and merely nodded. Cliff opened the balcony door and moved the blinds. The bright morning sun leaked in and Fayt let the warm sun bask his face.

"Here I got you some food," Cliff said. He turned around and gently lifted the tray onto his lap. The soup was nice and hot and the bread was soft and crunchy on the outside. Cliff brought him some French Onion and a French baguette.

Fayt tore a piece of the bread off and dipped it into the soup. "This tastes so good right now!" Fayt let out and laughed.

Cliff smiled, "That's the spirit, don't worry we'll get Maria back, and then some." Fayt nodded and smiled. He continued to eat his meal as birds chirped in the background. Cliff's side began to ring. Cliff looked at his communicator and answered it.

"Hey Mirage what's up?" Cliff asked cheerfully. Fayt put down his soup for a second and looked over.

"Cliff are you alright? How is Fayt and everyone there?" Mirage asked. Her voice was grave and boded ill. It couldn't be good.

"We're good, we just weathered a storm, did you hear about-," he got cut off.

"Yeah…I did…in fact that's why I'm calling…you know what let's just talk about it when we get here." Once again her response was terse and grave.

"That didn't sound good," Fayt said unemotionally. He kept his eyes trained on the tree outside.

"Yeah, don't dwell on it now. We'll deal later. So do you feel up for travel?"

"Gimme a sec," he replied. He slurped the rest of his soup, and slowly stood up. He used the small table to stabilize himself. Once he had rose to full height he jumped up and down. "I'm good."

"Alright let's go and see Nel and Albel before we head back to Aquaria."

"Right."

* * *

Nel lay on her bed. Her whole body was in shock. She had never taken a direct blast from a rifle before. If it had been anyone lesser, they'd probably be dead right now. But Nel was made of tough stuff. She ruffled her hair and sat propped herself straight up on the bed. She buried her head in her hands. She felt like she had drunk too much the night before. It had only happened once, but she would never forget it.

She looked up as the door opened. Albel came slouching in. He looked at her for a second through his long hair. He propped himself against the wall. It was silent for a second and the silence was maddening.

"Nox?" Nel asked.

"H-How are you feeling magg- I mean Nel," he said, with obvious difficulty. At least he was looking at her though.

"I've been better," she said, attempting to smile. Her throat was dry, and her voice was hoarse. Another awkward silence. It was broken when Fayt and Cliff walked in. Albel merely nodded in response to Fayt and Cliff's greeting.

"Hey, how you guys feeling? Especially you Nel, you got pretty banged up," Fayt asked.

"I'm good, how about yourself, I heard you kicked some serious ass," Nel said smiling.

Fayt smiled weakly in return, "Haha, I took some names."

"So where is Maria? I have to thank her for keeping me safe through that ordeal," Nel asked innocently. Everyone's faces darkened. "D-Did I say something wrong?" she asked embarrassed.

"She…she was taken by the men that attacked," Cliff said gravely. Fayt just stared out the window. Obviously a wave of emotions flowing through him.

"W-What? T-That's impossible…" she trailed off. She looked around and knew that they were serious. She lowered her head in disbelief. Nel could feel the tears burning the inside of her eyelids. Her long bangs hid her face as she sobbed slowly.

"We came to tell you guys that…we're leaving, we gotta go after her, before we lose the trail, and what not. So we came to say goodbye," Fayt said.

"Goodbye? We're coming with you fool," Albel said suddenly. He has his usual cocky grin on his face.

"W-What? It's too dangerous, you maybe, but Nel? She's in no shape to travel!" Fayt exclaimed.

"I think he's right Nel, Albel can come but…you're in no shape to travel," Cliff said. He looked at her, head still hung in grief.

"Shut up, I'm coming with you. If Fayt can travel then I should be able to too!" she exclaimed. Nel craned her neck to look at him, and she looked at him fiercely. She immediately jumped up and walked around. "See, I'm fine."

"Alright, Alright, hell hath no fury right Cliff?" Fayt asked, smiling.

"Yeah, definitely," Cliff replied. They said no more and Cliff and Fayt returned to their room to pack up all their gear. They stayed another night and then met up with Nel and Albel the next morning. Fayt and Cliff, carried the one bag that Cliff brought down.

"Hey Cliff what happened to my swords?" Fayt asked. He could not find them last night and Cliff was already snoozing. They walked past the statues Cliff had broken, that were steadily being repaired.

"Well you sorta fried them after juicing them up with all that power," he said slowly.

"Oh…that's great…err so what am I gonna use? I feel…defenseless without anything to protect myself," Fayt said, embarrassed.

"Oh, don't worry there is a laser weapon in the _Eagle II_," he said simply.

"Yeah, but we still have to travel to Aquaria," he said.

"Oh don't worry I have a hunch we'll see the _Eagle_ really soon," Cliff said arrogantly. He left Fayt gawking at the back of his head. Cliff simply smiled, and Fayt followed. They immediately spotted Nel and Albel outside the embassy. Nel was leaning against a tree, Albel against the embassy wall. There was a dead silence between the two. Despite the sounds of chatter on the street, people repairing homes, and others just going about their normal lives, there was tension in the air. Then again there is always tension between them. Fayt looked at the people, and envied them.

"Sometimes I wish that I still lived normally," Fayt muttered under his breath. He remembered life before all this. Living as an innocent and carefree teen, Fayt sorely missed it. He missed eating burgers and fries, watching movies, chilling with friends. He even remembered the time his friends suckered him to go to a college party. He woke up with a terrible hangover, naked next to some very attractive girl. Who was equally nude as him.

He really did miss it…but, duty calls and somebody has to deal with it. Unfortunately he had to play hero. Hero…he remembered constantly wishing his life was an action movie. Fayt always longed to be the hero…have amazing powers, and get the girl.

So far his life had turned into that roller coaster, he hated it. He did have amazing powers…more of a curse really. And he almost had the girl, but his own stupidity cost it.

And the possibility of never seeing her again, hurt, he felt a tightening in his chest and banished the thoughts away. I have to live in the now, and I can't dwell in the past, he thought.

"YO! Elicoor to Fayt!" Cliff yelled. Fayt turned around and looked at him.

"What! I'm having a moment here!" he yelled back.

"We're leaving let's goo!!" Cliff yelled. Albel, Nel, and Cliff were already leaning against the entrance gate. Fayt sighed and strode across the courtyard. He stopped as he spotted something in the sky. At first it looked like nothing more than a falcon. But no, it got bigger, and bigger. It was a ship, specifically the _Eagle_.

"Hey…Cliff isn't that the _Eagle_?" he asked. People began to notice the strange object and dropped what they were working on.

Cliff looked up, then he looked bemusedly at the people.. "As a matter of fact, it is. I wonder who would be flying it though?"

"Get ready guys, they could be hostile. Looks like your hunch was right Cliff," Fayt said. His hand went to his side, as if to grab his sword. Then he realized, and remembered that there was no scabbard. And he remembered that his swords broke.

"Ha, I guess I am right, let's just hope it's good news." The _Eagle _hovered off the ground for a bit, it blew a bit of dust off the ground. Everyone shielded their eyes and stood ready. As the engines powered off, the hatch opened up.

"Haha, I come in peace!" A gruff but cheerful voice said, from inside the ship. A large, shirtless man stepped out. The man was huge, and probably even stronger than Cliff.

"Big Muscly Maggot! How the hell did you manage to fly that piece of shit?" Albel asked. Adray gawked at him.

"Nice to see you too Albel, oh and you still owe me a duel," Adray replied. Cliff walked over to the big man and offered him his hand. Adray took it, and the two kept tightening each other's grip. They smiled at each other, then each loosened each other's grip.

"Looks like you're as strong as ever Adray," Cliff said beaming. "So how did you fly that thing here?"

"Nice to see you too Cliff, you still owe me a pushup contest. And honestly, I just played with the controls until I could keep it in the air. Cept, I did blow up a few buildings in Aquios," Adray smiled mischeviously.

"Well regardless, you are here. And you're timing couldn't be any better, we were just about to return. We need to get off the planet to save the world again," Cliff said casually. He smiled at him, "No biggie right?"

Adray laughed heartily then turned to Fayt. "Whaddaya say Fayt? Are we gonna save the world again?"

"Uh yeah sure…your help would be, er great," Fayt said, he ended with a smile. He was afraid of saying 'no' to Adray Lasbard.

"Alright let's go!!" Adray yelled, and he dashed back into the ship. Everyone sighed and followed him in. Nel and Albel each propped each other in a seat, they placed their baggage down on the floor beside them. Adray was enthusiastically jabbing at the controls. Fayt sat in a chair behind Adray. The ship whirred to life.

"Soooooooooo, where we going?" Everyone sighed and Cliff told Adray to give the navigation chair to Fayt. Adray protested, but quickly shut up. Fayt laughed and got in the chair. He pulled up the space map on the screen.

"Cliff where we headed?" Fayt asked. He punched a few more buttons and the ship hovered off the ground and blasted upwards towards space. The people on the ground gazed in wonder at the technological wonder.

"We are heading to Expel."

"Ok…Expel…coordinates Mark 15 Course 234 Point Q."

"Sounds about right," Cliff said as he listened to Fayt. He reclined in the captain's chair. The small bridge of the _Eagle II_ was quiet for a while.

"So why Expel Cliff?" Fayt asked. He continued to input the final set of data and double checked it.

"That's where the Diplo is orbiting right now, Expel is a neutral sector so it is an ideal place to hide. And Mirage knows some people within the Expellian government, who owe her stuff."

"Oh." Fayt finished checking the info, and pressed 'confirm'.

"Destination confirmed, time to destination, 12 hours," the cool mechanical voice said.

"Ughh 12 hours on this hunk of junk?" Albel yelled.

"Hey get used to it, and my ship isn't junk, it is actually one sophisticated piece of metal," Cliff replied angrily.

"Maggot…" Albel muttered. He shifted around in his seat and went to sleep. Nel and Adray looked in wonder out the porthole at space.

"So Cliff what's new with the _Eagle_?" Fayt asked. He eased back in his chair and yawned loudly.

"Ermm… hmmm. Let's see it is considerably bigger. It has two showers now, with one full bath. And there is a small two bed room at the end through that door. Umm the engine is faster than the old one. Err stronger shields and weapon capabilities…oh and a gourmet food replicator!! It has all this stuff like one thing called Bouillabaisse!!" he said excitedly.

"What the hell is that?" Fayt replied.

"I have no clue, but it kicks ass! You want some?"

"Sure." Fayt shrugged. Cliff got up but Fayt stopped him. "Err Cliff, you might wanna hold out on that kick ass Bouillabaisse. We got company."

"What is it?"

"I dunno it might be hostile, I'm going to run the comp's defensive maneuvers. There are three combat explorers and 1 heavy cruiser."

"Alright, open a line, I wanna talk to them. We're no match for them in a firefight though." Fayt nodded and did so.

The ship sped towards the convoy and began running it's evasive run.

* * *

"Ryoko, I can't believe we survived that!" Clive sighed with relief.

"I told you not to worry! I had complete trust in my new Warp Drive, besides we perfected the symbol required for the tech!!" Ryoko replied. Everyone was still reeling from their escape.

They had just left the atmosphere and were about to get decimated by the Nedian armada when they warped. Ryoko's warp drive enabled you to transport from one spot to another, instantaneously. Almost like a transporter, but on a much larger scale. The only downside was…

"Ryoko! I'm picking up a small cruiser flying on our same trajectory towards Expel. It's weapons are primed!" Clive yelled stiffly. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, since it was two Combat Explores and a Cruiser against a light cruiser. Just bigger than a fighter. Except the warp drive left them totally defenseless, No shields or weapons. Which was the same for the Combat Explorers.

"Ryoko, they've opened a comm. Line with us," Clive said as he prepared to open it.

"Bring em' on screen," Ryoko replied tersely. A muscular blond man appeared on screen.

The blond man coughed than looked on to the screen. "Hello, this is Captain Cliff Fittir of the _Eagle, _we're not looking for any-hey wait! Fayt isn't that you mom?" Ryoko stood puzzled for a second at the blond man's reaction.

"What the hell are you talking about?" a blue haired youth said as he looked up from his console.

"Fayt!!" Ryoko screamed.

"M-Mom? Wh-What the? How the? What is going on?" Fayt asked.

"Y-You're ok!!" Ryoko yelled tearfully.

"Y-Yeah, but I thought you were on Earth…say where are you guys headed?"

Ryoko looked puzzled at her son's random question. "Expel, why?"

"We're headed their too…woah what are the odds…Anyways, let's just get caught up when we get there. You guys should just hang back in our wake. The _Eagle_ is a speed demon," Fayt smiled.

"It's good to know you're safe son," Ryoko replied.

"You too mom, I'll see you when we land," Fayt smiled. Clive cut the line and remained on course. He set back in the _Eagle's_ slipstream. Although, it didn't matter since there wasn't any air in space.

* * *

Maria slowly stirred in her sleep. She awoke to find herself in a cell. However it wasn't an old type cell. It was modern, instead of bars there was an energy barrier. She was laying on a bed. There was a very dim light, and it took a while for her eyes to adjust.

She examined her surroundings. There was a toilet against the wall, and another bed. There was a person on it. Maria tried to get up but her body ached too much. She lay back down and wondered how she was captured twice in a span of one week? She propped herself on her side and looked at the person on the bed.

She seemed strangely familiar to her. The person was female, she had long light brown hair, big eyes…Sophia!! "Sophia…" Maria whispered.

Sophia muttered something in her sleep, and she moaned and turned on her bed.

"Sophia!" Maria blurted. Sophia shot up, and looked around alarmed.

"Who that?" Sophia asked stupidly. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, she looked at Maria.

"It's me Maria," she whispered back.

"Maria?"-she took a better look at her-"Maria! On no! They got you too?"

"Yeah I guess, they were after Fayt too, but they couldn't he used his powers I guess." Maria looked at Sophia and smiled. She returned her smile and there was an awkward silence that followed. They both obviously remembered their last encounter and each one felt embarrassed.

Sophia caved first and broke into sobbing. She walked over to Maria's bed, and hugged her. The act surprised Maria at first and her body went rigid at first. But then she relaxed and tightened the embrace and hugged her back.

"I'm s-s-so s-sorry," Sophia moaned through her cries.

"I-It's ok," Maria replied. She began fighting back tears too. She was confused and didn't know why she felt like that but forgot about it. They separated and began talking about their current situation. Sophia telling Maria what had transpired to her, and Maria did the same.

* * *

A/N: Ok guys, like I said stay with me and the questions will be answered, hopefully.\


	11. Chapter 10: The Other Side of Things

A/N: Hey people!! I still hope your with me, its been a little longer than my usual updates, but school is starting up again. Plus I have soccer which keeps me pretty busy, but nevertheless, on with the show!! Oh yeah, I want more reviews!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Other Side of Things**

Indalecio casually paced down the hall of the 'Prison Cube'. The building was literally a big cube-shaped building between the Planetary Defense Building and the Federal Tower. It was a high tech prison cell the Federation had built about a year ago. He quickened his pace and casually greeted a guard that was on 'patrol'. The guard stuttered a response at the god-like figure.

Indalecio laughed to himself and resumed his pace down the hall. He passed numerous cells, most of its inhabitants asleep. Those awake casually eyed him, but soon lost interest. He continued down the hall then he turned left. He spotted two familiar people down the hall.

"Jyril, Cyril, did you get the key cards?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did, so these are the two?" Cyril asked. He peered inside the cell. Two females lay asleep within. One brunette and one blue-headed one lay peacefully on their beds.

"Indalecio, why didn't we capture the third one?" Jyril asked.

"Honestly? That one was the most powerful one. I analyzed all of their structures from the Moonbase computer. His power is triggered the most by rage, and I figured the capture of his companion would enrage him. And you saw for yourself the destruction the kid wrecked on us. Although I'm confident I could've taken him…I didn't feel it necessary yet for our enemies to see my…face yet."

"Umm ok, but I mean.." Indalecio noticed his companion's confusion.

"The only way I could get the kid was if I killed him, and we need him alive. So I figured why not gather reinforcements before trying to take him?"

"And reinforcements meaning…the rest of us?" Jyril asked.

"Correct, but unfortunately I need all of them to full resurrect us, so I'll only be able to restore a fraction of us, **and **they won't be at full strength. But they will still be worthy fighters."

"OK, so shall we?" Cyril asked. He waved the card on front of the scanner on the side. The machine beeped, and the energy barrier hummed as it was dropped. They walked in and Indalecio looked at the two. He rose and pointed his hand toward Maria. A symbol appeared on his palm, it was crimson red as if it was burned into his skin. Energy flowed from the hand and created an energy bubble around her. He turned to Sophia and did the same. The two men lifted the two and they walked out of the cell.

The two were left suspending in the bubbles, as if nothing would arouse them. Their faces were peaceful as they were 2 minutes ago. Indalecio led his men out the building. The guards didn't dare question their Grand General's actions.

"Indalecio, how are we gonna keep them a secret from Nede?"

"We don't need to, I already told him that I'm transferring them, that I need to begin the process. Of course his greedy self agreed. As far as he is concerned the more of us, is better for him. He believes he controls us or something," Indalecio replied arrogantly.

"Oh."

"That fool is playing perfectly into my hands, I can probably restore Berle and 4 more, if we're lucky. I only need 5 of us to stage the coup on him."

"Why is that?" Jyril asked.

"Well, it is simple, the soldiers all know how powerful we are. I am confident that if there are at least 5 of us, we'll have enough."

"Uh-huh," Jyril said unconvinced. "Whatever boss, there isn't a thing conscious on this planet that could kill us."

"Err Jyril what about those brats?"

"You mean the kids? I said unconscious right? They are asleep right now do they don't count, you bonehead!!"

"No need to get angry jeez," Cyril replied.

"Hush up! You two are giving me a headache!" Indalecio yelled. They re-entered the Federal Tower. They didn't need any type of registration to get in and out of the building. They're presence was enough, and they scared every soldier. Not even King Nede commanded that much respect over his men.

They took the executive elevator all the way to the top to Indalecio's room/laboratory. The Federal Tower was a very tall building, It was a thin tower, which almost reached the clouds. At the top there was a circular disk. It was capped with a tall spire, where one could actually climb to. Due to stabilization and climate control, someone could easily spend an afternoon up there.

The circular disk at the top was considered the 'Penthouse' level. There were two large levels, excluding the spire. The ranking officials within the new Nedian government resided there. The President and her advisors use to occupy the top however, things changed. King Nede's Royal Chamber is situated on the top level of the disk, and he spends most his time up there.

Indalecio instructed his men to put them in a holding cell once more. This cell was less pleasant than their previous one. There were no beds, only walls, there was however, a toilet. Jyril turned on the energy barrier to lock them in. Indalecio's room was quite big, shaped like a circle. There were sort of two levels. The first level included a kitchen, TV home theater and two bathrooms on the side. Then there was a small black walkway above them that circled around the room. There was a small staircase that led up there, which allowed access to the bedrooms. 10 in total.

This particular room once belonged to the Financial Advisor of the President. He had 6 kids, and his parents lived with them. Indalecio kicked them out ruthlessly on the street, and weren't faring so well. Rumor has it, that he joined some sort of Rebel Group. But, we know all about rumors.

"Hey boss is this all you want me to do for now?" Jyril asked.

"Yes, I still need to prepare the machine, and have one of Nede's scientists to check my work to make sure it'll work properly," he replied. He didn't even glance over as he rummaged through some things. Jyril shrugged and threw himself on the couch to watch some TV.

* * *

Mirage carried a briefcase and wore a crisp suit, it looked brand new to be honest. Lancar walked beside her, he had a rifle slung over his shoulder. He had a grim look on his face, and it didn't falter. They walked in a sandy Spaceport on Expel. They had just landed on the planet with the _Valence Ion,_ a ship with a name that only Mirage would give. They left the _Diplo_ in orbit above Expel, in case Cliff and the others arrived. She had business to attend to.

They kept walking through the bustling Spaceport of Manilo, there was also a very busy Marketplace. Mirage looked very out of place among the scruffy gentlemen that wore heavy garbs to protect their skin from the hot sun. Their dark faces could be seen, with very solemn eyes. The women, had the same look about themselves.

Mirage just kept on walking, without looking at anyone. She quickened her pace darting and dodging between the Marketplace people. Lancar, who bulky and big in size, had some trouble keeping up with her. The scene of clay and cement houses changed to more open desert. There was a modern looking building down past the Marketplace.

It was actually their destination, it was simply a government building. It was a place where offcials met outside their capital city, where the palace was. Few people that didn't live in Expel's capital city, City of Kenni, ever saw it. Kenni, being named after the Hero of Light, who had coincidentally helped defeat the 10 Wise Men a long time ago.

The building was very simple, rectangular and then another rectangle connected to the other. It formed a 'T' shape, and the windows on the outside were black and shiny. Mirage had to shield her eyes because the sun's reflection was so bright. Lancar who was already wearing shades, covered his eyes all the same. They entered the sliding door and went through the security check. Lancar gave up his rifle and received a tag to get it back later.

Mirage spotted a sign that labeled all the rooms in the building. She had agreed to meet with her clients in room 456. She ran her finger down the list and found it, and figured out where it should be. She nodded and gestured for Lancar to follow her.

"We're late," Lancar said as he checked his watch.

"It's fine, I told them we might be a little late," she replied. They exited the main lobby and went down the left hall, to the transporters. She asked the aid, which transporter would lead them to the right place. The aid pointed to the far one at the end of the row on the left. Mirage thanked her and walked in.

She felt the sensation of teleportation and shuddered when she walked out. She hated the feeling of being transported. Her stomach always did a backflip, despite the numerous times she had done it.

Mirage continued down the hall they appeared in and began seeing doors. She began reading the door numbers.

"453…454…455…456, here we are!" she said and turned the knob. She walked in first and held it open for Lancar. They walked into the room, which looked very much like a conference room. There was a long black table, with very comfy looking chairs lined around them.

Three other people occupied the room. There was one Vendeeni officer, judging her badges. She looked female also, her face wasn't as aggressive-looking as a male's. Then there was an Aldian. Most Aldians were blonde and had blue eyes. Their features very graceful and much more finer than human traits. They looked a little like the mythical elves in human fairy tales, in Mirage's opinion.

Then there was an Expellian official, no notable features that differentiated them from Earthlings. They all looked in wonder at Mirage and Lancar, as they took their respective seats.

"Captain Mirage, it is good to see you again," the Aldian said as he stretched a hand out to her.

"Captain Gordon, the pleasure is all mine," Mirage said sweetly as she shook his. She offered her hand to the Vendeeni and she apprehensively shook it. "Commander Wifra, it is also good to actually meet you and Gordon in person."

"Yes well, it is also nice to see you in person," Wifra said, a bit sourly.

Mirage shook hands with the Expellian official, who was very gracious. She cleared her throat and put the briefcase on the desk. "So I trust that you all have pondered my proposal," she asked.

The others looked at her and scratched their heads. Wifra cleared her throat, the Espellian looked at her. "I don't know about these two but to be honest your proposal…puts us in a difficult situation. I'm sure you understand why we would have…difficulty accepting your terms," he said slowly.

"I'm not sure I catch your meaning, please elaborate," she replied. However, Mirage knew quite well what he had meant.

"I know that the Nedian influence will eventually reach us, and that fighting back would be our only hope of freedom. But…what chance do we actually have of winning? Living under their corrupt regime might be better than living as traitorous slaves if we fail. Although our king hasn't decided yet and nothing is certain, I cannot say that he would gamble with his people's lives like that," the Expellian explained.

"B-But, you have to understand. The Nedian's will be just as aggressive, regardless if you help us fight or not!" Mirage yelled.

"P-Please, understand! This is hard for us, you can't be sure as to what they would do. But I assure you, at the moment the king is indifferent about the subject and is still considering it," he said strictly.

"I-I understand, pardon my rash behavior. I must respect your decision, whatever it may be. I acknowledge that a government must first consider all factors and its people first," she said and bowed to him.

The Expellian's espression softened, and he smiled. "I, will try to persuade my king to help you in your campaign. Although I am only one of his many advisors, he holds my opinion in high regard," the man said proudly.

"Thank you very much," she said. The Expellian returned her smile and made a note on his datapad.

Captain Gordon turned to her and smiled. "You already know that Wifra and I agreed, if you remember our last video conference."

"Yes, and I gratefully thank you for joining us," Mirage replied and smiled, She ran a hand through her hair. On the inside she felt very discouraged. Her whole plan was based on the support of Expel. Only the combined technology of all their races could hope to stand up to the Nedians.

She was really hoping for the Expellian's advanced shielding using Crystal Gemenite. The Gemenite was a rare type of it's specimen that could only be found on Expel. Then the newly developed Hyperion Cannons, stronger than Creation Energy was another thing she hoped for. The Hyperion Cannons had actually defended them from the Executioners. A weapon that effective, was something worth having.

She thanked the Nedian official for his time and walked out of the room, with Lancar behind her. Wifra and Gordon stayed behind to talk a bit more with the Expellian man. She heard them talking about Lunch. She laughed and hoped that they could somehow sway the man to convince his king.

She shook her head and headed back to the lobby and outside back to the Spaceport. Lancar retrieved his rifle and ran back toward Mirage.

"Bummer huh? We really needed them," Lancar said.

"Yeah, I don't see why they are hesitant. If they fight, they may fail, but at least no one can say they didn't try. If they don't do anything, they will be enslaved all the same. The Nedians' retribution will be painful and quick all the same, no matter their choice of action," Mirage said angrily. They made their way through the busy Marketplace once more, on route to the Spaceport.

"Good news though," Lancar started.

"Why?" Mirage asked. How could not having Expel as an ally be good news?

"Lieber just got back from negotiating with the Central Klausian Government on Klaus IV."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!! Did he contact Cliff's dad on the head council?"

"Yeah he did."

"So what did he say?" Mirage asked. She began to smile again, confident that the answer would be 'yes'.

"Well naturally they said yes, no Klausian likes to be pushed around. So when the council heard that they would be enslaved, all hell broke lose. The council went crazy, they were ready to send every able ship in the Klausian Navy to attack at that instant," Lancar laughed.

"Well that is good news, Klausian ships might not be powerful but they can take a hell of a beating. And they are big too."

"Built like a Klausian right? Big and Strong?" Lancar asked.

"Definitely, now come on we gotta head back to the _Diplo_. For now we're going to have to wait for our audience with the king in a week. Let us hope that he will see things as we do," Mirage said hopefully. Lancar nodded and they headed to the platform where they had landed the _Valence Ion._ The deck officer checked them out and allowed them to take off in 30 minutes. There were three other ships leaving before them.

"Alright Lancar run your pre-flight check and we'll be outta here in no time," Mirage said. Lancar exited the ship to check the outside and refuel the thing. Mirage began doing the on-board prep. She turned on the main screen, the data flashed and a bunch of complicated numbers flashed across the screen

The screen blanked then re-booted. It displayed the outside. Mirage switched to the cameras in the back to make sure everything was working properly. The dashboard began to blink and beep.

"Message from _Diplo_," the computer voice rang.

"Put it on screen," Mirage said. The screen blinked and showed Cliff and Fayt on the bridge of the _Diplo._

"Howdy," Cliff said simply.

"How are you?" Fayt asked.

"Cliff, Fayt!! You guys are here already! I wasn't expecting you so soon with Fayt's injury and all."

"Nah, Fayt was stubborn so we had to go," Cliff said smiling.

"Wait, where are you right now Mirage?" Fayt asked.

"I'm on Expel, Lancar and I are actually headed up right now, I'll tell you all the details of my trip when we arrive."

"Alright, we'll be waiting," Cliff said cheerfully.

"Ok, Mirage out," she said as she cut the connection. Lancar walked back in and sat in the pilot's chair.

"Alright we're clear to go boss, ready?" Mirage nodded and Lancar hit the engine button. The engines roared to life and Mirage felt the speed of the ship picking up as it accelerated. She was thrust back into her seat a little. "Activating safety belts," Lancar said as he pressed a button. The safety bars above their heads lowered and secured them for the rest of the trip.

* * *

Maria woke up and her vision was hazed for a second. She looked around and was confused. This wasn't the cell they were in earlier, for one thing there wasn't a toilet and there weren't any beds. Also there was a bad smell of rotten eggs. The people on the outside didn't have to deal with the smell, lucky, she thought.

The energy barrier didn't allow the captives to see the outside, but allow the captors to see what was happening. It also restricted sound. Maria kicked the wall in frustration and the sound awoke Sophia.

"M-Maria? Where are we?" Sophia asked timidly as she slowly stirred.

"I dunno, we were moved during the night I guess, no idea how we weren't awoken."

"Yeah, that is weird, AHH!!" Sophia jumped when the energy barrier dropped. A man with red hair walked in, his eyes just as red. It wasn't an orange-red ,tinge either, it was a deep red, almost like blood. His eyes were a brighter red. He wore golden robes similar to the King.

"Well hello ladies," Indalecio said and smirked. His voice was deep and meancing, it seemed very grim and evil. They remained silent, and didn't look him in the eye. "I said HELLO!!" he yelled. He stormed in and picked up Sophia, he punched her hard in the stomach. She whimpered in pain.

"You bastard!" Maria yelled. But before she knew it she felt a hard kick to her stomach that sent her flying into the wall. Indalecio looked at her.

"How dare you try to even touch me you bitch!!" he roared. Maria just looked at him fiercely and spat on him. "Why you little!!" he yelled he rose his hand to strike her again, but she created the familiar ice barriers with her powers. Indalecio was surprised but only smiled. She changed the structure of her feet once more to attain the un-human speed she needed.

She agily dodged his next blow at her head. She dashed out of the cell and looked back at her opponent. She tapped into her powers again to pull something off that she had never tried before. She focused on the air around her hand and was changing the molecules.

In a bright flash of light a katana appeared in her hand. She tapped into her powers once more and attained an even greater speed. She struck with great speed and deft skill at Indalecio. He merely yawned as he dodged the enraged Maria. She began to pant really hard.

Although her powers allowed her to attain speed and strength, her body wasn't necessarily trained to function at that level. If she tried to tap into her powers again a fatal case of oxygen debt might occur. Or her lungs could cave in. Or the nerves running down her back, connected to her thighs could get damaged. Plus she hadn't gotten decent rest in days, and she hasn't had much to eat either.

Her strikes only got quicker, though, she was pushing it. She was on the brink of breaking her anaerobic threshold. 'Lub-Lub, Lub-Lub' her heart was beating uncontrollably quick. Her breath was very heavy. She managed to connect with Indalecio's thigh.

"Arghhh!! Wench!!" he yelled. He looked down at the blade and rose his hand he smashed his fist through it and broke it. Maria gasped jumped backward, still panting very hard. Her throat was just as dry and parched, she felt lightheaded. Bottom line, was that she was ready to drop at any given moment.

Indalecio hadn't broken a sweat and the 4 foot blade in his thigh didn't hinder him either. He laughed as he pulled it out. He threw it to the side, it landed in the cell by Sophia. Sophia was still knocked out. Indalecio paced slowly towards Maria his pace quickened. He began swaying drunkenly then in one swift, and deft motion he punched Maria in the face. Her body fell to the floor, and a there was a big red mark on her left cheek.

Indalecio laughed. "Pathetic weakling," he muttered as he kicked her in the side. Cyril and Jyril walked in and stared at Indalecio's bloody leg. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Err, cooking accident boss?" Jyril asked.

"No, our captives got rowdy, the girl has a little fight in her."

"Oh, well we got the machine ready, we're ready for them now if you want," Cyril added.

"Yes, very well, I have beaten them unconscious, so things will be a lot more easier. Their current state won't allow them to resist." He grinned maliciously, and his men picked up the two girls effortlessly. They exited the room to only god (or the author) knows where.

* * *

"Alright bring her in nice and easy," Mirage said. Lancar was piloting the _Valence Ion _carefully into the hangar of the _Diplo._ Mirage saw the _Eagle II _parked on the far side of the hangar. She also spotted a unknown cruiser, which was the _Dragoon_. They had also encountered two Federation Combat Explorers as they flew in. Mirage was puzzled at who it could possibly be but figured that she'd find out later.

Mirage smiled and yawned tiredly as the ship's engines whined, as they powered down. Lancar exhaled as the ship delicately touched the hangar's sufacee.

"Alright boss, you can go ahead and greet Cliff and the others. I still have to finish the post-flight check on this thing," he said. He began to punch buttons on the main console. Lancar waved good-bye to her as she walked away.

She walked out on the ship's side ramp, and her feet clanked on the walkway as she walked down. She felt the humidity of the hangar caused by the heat of the ships' engines. Mirage sweated a little, but brushed away the beads of sweat. She exited the hangar and the cool air produced by the ship's climate control immediately touched her skin.

She shivered a little at the sudden temperature change but shrugged it off. She went to the transporter that transported her to the bridge level. On the way she ran in to Steeg who was polishing his gun. He looked up as he heard her footsteps.

"Mirage! How was Expel?" Lancar asked cheerfully.

"Disappointing actually, the Expellian official said that his king was still undecided," Mirage said tiredly.

"Oh bummer, oh yeah I just got back from Tetragenesis."

"Right!! I forgot, so what did Senator Ophelia Fuller say?"

"She agreed to lend her planet's military aid, they actually fought back those Nedians that tried to take over. After all Tetragenesis was part of the Federation."

"Good, good, it won't be long until the Nedians return, so they need their allies huh?"

"Yeah, she figured they got a better chance siding with us anyways, it is just going to be a matter of organizing everyone."

"Alright, good job Steeg. So did Miss Fuller say she planned on joining Captains Gordon and Wifra and I when we meet the king?"

"Err, she said that she would try," Steeg grinned.

"Alright, say Steeg, do you know who's cruiser that is in the hangar, and the Combat Explorers outside?" Mirage asked.

"Ermm...I think their Fayt's mom's ships," he said cluelessly.

"F-Fayt's mom?" she replied.

"Erm, I don't know, you can ask them the details later," Steeg shrugged.

"Well, regardless, good job Steeg,"she walked away and Steeg went back to polishing his gun. Mirage walked down the hall and approached the door that led to the bridge. When the door slid open she saw Cliff and Fayt locked in a vicious battle…for the Captain's chair. She walked in quietly to view their 'fight'.

"Kid, what the hell do you know about being a captain!!" Cliff roared.

"I don't wanna be Captain!! I just want to sit in the chair and feel the POWUH!!" Fayt yelled back. As the two glared at each other furiously, Mirage stepped up and sat in the chair. She placed her hands behind her head and relaxed in it.

"Sorry boys, but I'm teh Grand Poobah of this ship," she said funnily.

The two began to stutter incoherent words at Mirage. Mirage laughed and just made herself even more comfortable.

"Don't get too comfy Mirage, I named you interim captain and I can relinquish that title, like that," he said as he pointed his finger at her.

"Really?" she asked, as if challenging him to do it. "It's not nice to point Cliff," she added. But, at that moment warning klaxons' buzzing filled the bridge with noise.

"What is it?" Cliff asked seriously. Lieber was in one of the chairs and spoke up.

"Long-range scanners detect, numerous gravitic space anomalies," he said quickly.

"Bring them on screen," Mirage said.

"On screen," Lieber said. The screen showed the pitch blackness of space and three ships approaching them. There was 1 golden one and 2 Federation Battleships.

"The Nedians!!" Fayt exclaimed. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

"Fayt calm down," Cliff said. Mirage opened the comm. line that the Nedian ship had requested. A bald man garbed in a Grey jumpsuit and colorful badges appeared on the screen. Behind him his crew on the deck.

"This is Captain Fox of the _Maelstrom Whirlwind, _we are here to seize control of former Federation Planet Expel for King Nede. If you resist we will have to use force. We are prepared to bring in the rest of our fleet, but resistance is futile," he said tartly.

Mirage wasn't even paying attention to the man. "Lieber patch this message through to the Expellian Navy's Command center," she said.

"Well what is your answer?" the man asked again. Once again Mirage didn't heed them. Lieber seemed to be conversing with someone as Mirage looked over.

"What did they say Lieber?" she asked.

"They have half their fleet on approach as we speak," he said.

"Good, fire a Quantum Torpedo at the golden ship," Mirage said. The System Operator hesitantly nodded.

"F-Firing 1," he stuttered. The torpedo sped toward the Nedian ship. As the torpedo sped through space the man returned on the screen.

"I regret to tell you that you are as good as dead," he said. The screen blanked and returned to display conventional space. What was open space around the three ships 5 minutes ago, changed. Ships began to appear out of Gravitic Warp. 30 battleships, too many. The torpedo they shot to the Nedian ship was shot out of space by a bright blast of clear light, resembling electricity.

"Shiiit, I hope you know what you are getting yourself into…_Captain,_" Cliff said sarcastically.

Mirage began to feel a sinking feeling in her stomach as she eyes the huge fleet in front of her. Suddenly another man came on to the screen.

"Captain Mirage, this is Expellian Navy Flagship _Tomahawk_ en-route," the man said.

"Good to have you, seriously, now let's kick some ass!!" she yelled back.

"Agreed, but we're going to have one hell of a fight on our hands," the man replied. Mirage nodded and he disappeared from the screen.

"Alright crew, power up the main weapon's system, power up the engines to 16 AUs. I want this thing to be able to dodge, swivel and turn on a dime," Mirage ordered. The crew quickly got to work. Fayt and Cliff looked at each other apprehensively. "Guys, strap in, we're in for a good one," she smiled grimly. Fayt and Cliff strapped into the two seats beside the Captain's chair.

* * *

A/N: Alright this chapter was a bit more of a boring chapter, I had a little bit of Writer's Block, umm remember review!!


	12. Chapter 11:Divine Wrath

A/N: Hey guys, I know its been awhile, I hope I still have readers out there!! Ok so I've been a little busy with soccer and school lately, so I've been bogged. So I know its been awhile and here it is.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Divine Wrath**

Maria felt someone slapping her face, hard. "Ouch!" she yelled as she opened her eyes. She stared into the hateful eyes of Jyril.

"Wake up whore!! The boss needs you awake!" he yelled into her face. She seemed to be strapped to a wall. Her arms and legs were bound and she couldn't move. She looked around and saw Sophia being smacked awake by Cyril. She squinted a bit, a bright light was being shone on her. She heard the opening of a door and saw Indalecio walking through it.

He smirked at the two of them, he walked with a slight limp, because of the sword Maria stuck in him.

"Ah, good you two are awake; I want to show you a monumental ground-breaking achievement. It will change the universe, as we know it," he said smugly. He walked over to a computer console that was hooked up to the wall Maria and Sophia were strapped to.

Maria scoffed, "I hope that leg is hurting you really bad," she said grimly.

"Hurts like a bitch…oops sorry, just hurt by a **bitch**," he sneered at her. He continued to jab away at the console and a sound behind them, light thunder, was heard. Maria looked up. The wall they were hanging on had two large metal poles protruding upwards. A pulse of blue lightning was coursing between them. They were hooked up to some sort of machine…

Maria glanced around again. Next to the wall there was a small door leading to a small dark chamber. She couldn't make out what was inside. "W-What is this you monster!!" she yelled at him.

"Monster am I? Gentlemen she just called me a monster!! A monster!!" Indalecio yelled. Cyril and Jyril laughed, they were just brooding in the corner, looking on as if some show was about to start. "You'll see soon enough little girl," he said and began to laugh maniacally. He pressed a few final buttons and it beeped in response.

The electric pulse between the metal rods began pulsating quicker and quicker. It began to crackle until it started to cause Maria pain. At first she winced at the pain, it kept mounting and mounting until it was too much. She let out a loud whimper of pain, and began screaming in agony. Sophia began to whimper and yell too. Maria began to cry and tears formed on her eyes, the pain was unbearable. "Ah-Ah-Arghhhhhhhhh!!"

Indalecio laughed at their pain, his laugh got louder and louder. He increased the power of the machine from 5 to 10. Instantly, Maria and Sophia began moaning even louder. Indalecio's laugh could be heard clearly over their screams. Cyril and Jyril couldn't contain themselves any further, they burst out laughing.

* * *

"Damn!! _Maelstrom Whirlwind_ did you see that?" Mirage yelled into her comm.

"Roger, we're losing too many ships!!" the captain of the ship yelled.

"Run to course 234 to draw fire away from your Heavy Assault Cruisers," she instructed.

"Roger, navigating to course." She watched as the huge flagship cruised towards the assault cruisers. Things weren't going well for them. The Expellians had lost a good number of their ships. The bridge door opened as Ryoko Leingod walked in.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked. Before she could be answered, another shot rocked the ship violently.

"Damage report!" Mirage yelled. Fayt brought up the info on his console.

"Engines are down, and an enemy ship is maneuvering to board us. Shields are at 40, Weapons Systems are on line. We could give that enemy ship hell, when they get closer."

"I dunno, it probably won't work, their shields are pretty strong," Cliff said. He was analyzing the technical layout of the approaching ship. The ship was one of the bigger cruisers, the flagship was moving to them too.

"Oh, hey mom, errr we're being torn to bits right now by the Nedians," Fayt said calmly.

"Oh that is good to know, wait what about the Combat Explorers that came with me?"

"They are both still alive and kicking Mrs. Leingod," Cliff said. Fayt unbuckled himself from his chair and looked at Cliff. "Where ya' goin Fayt?" he asked. He rose his eyebrow, where could he go at a time like this?

"The Expellians are launching fighters, I plan to join them. Mom do you mind if we take the _Dragoon_?"

"Sure sweetie, I'll come with you, I'll go wake up the Esteeds, meet you in the hangar room," she said and walked off the bridge.

"Alright Fayt! I was waiting for you to suggest that, I'm getting restless doing nothing here. Mirage, you'll watch the ship right?" Cliff asked her in a sweet tone.

"Y-You have to be kidding!! The chances of surviving out there are slim!!" Mirage yelled.

"Yeah, but we're not doing anything productive here, so we're gonna go," he said. Without another word Cliff exited the bridge. Fayt followed after him after giving her a peace sign and hopped down the hall. They made their way down to the _Dragoon_, which was being boarded by a number of people. Peppita was seen outside dancing around.

"Pretty cheerful for going to your possible death," Cliff said.

"Oh, its just the adrenaline rush, I feel like I could take the universe on!!" she yelled.

"Woah calm down, focus on the battle at hand," Fayt said. After Peppita had calmed down and everyone clambered onto the ship, they were off. The Diplo was rocked again and Kian carefully piloted the _Dragoon_ out of the ship. The _Dragoon's_ engines blasted it out of the _Diplo_'s hangar.

It jetted into the fray. Light to Heavy Assault Craft were all engaged in battle with each other. Expellian fighters swarmed the Nedian's huge cruisers. The _Dragoon_ sped towards the oncoming _Nedian_ ship.

"We seriously gonna try to take that thing on?" Kian asked incredulously.

"Err, sure why not?" Cliff asked. He began punching buttons and jetted toward it. "Let's gooo!!" he yelled.

"Ermm this is Yellow Group, over," a voice said over the comm. line.

"Uh Yellow Group? You guys Expellian?" Cliff asked.

"Affirmative, we're here to assist you sir, Command said that you were allies. We're maneuvering to your flanks to give you some cover," he replied. Cliff peered out the cockpit and saw three ships flanking the _Dragoon._ 5 fighters flew ahead, and 5 bombers flew in the back. It produced what looked like a spear-head formation.

"Alright, this is uh Yellow Leader? Increase to attack speed to make an attack run on the enemies' starboard cannons. Bombers come in tight behind us so we can defend your run," Cliff ordered.

"Roger sir, we'll try to draw the fire away from you guys," the man replied.

"Fayt, you guys you all ready in those gunpods?" Cliff asked.

"Roger," Fayt said. Nel, Albel, Adray, Peppita, Ryoko, and the others also replied in agreement.

"Alright, here we go!!" Cliff said. He dropped the ship towards the enemy cruiser. He agily piloted the ship, dodging the phase cannon blasts. He couldn't dodge them all, the _Dragoon_ took a couple potshots, and was rocked violently. "Damn! Hey Yellow Group could you deal with those phase cannons? We can't even approach the main cannons!"

"Maneuvering," he said. The fire was considerably reduced and Cliff piloted the craft towards the cannons. Cliff fired the main torpedoes and missiles. The weapons wreaked havoc on the starboard cannons. The gunpods pummeled the cannons to oblivion. "Alright good job guys!!"

"Cliff!! Good job, that gave us some breathing space, go for the bridge, we're going to pummel it's shields," Mirage said.

"Roger, alright Yellow Group, regroup, prepare to make a second run on the bridge!!" Cliff yelled.

"Roger, wait what the? Yellow Leader! I'm picking up fighter squadrons on my computer."

"Hang on, I see em too, grrr, damn it! As if we didn't have anything else to deal with. Alright, Bombers stay with us, fighters, do your best to keep those fighters off us!!"

"We'll try sir." The fighters broke off a little and they kept a fair distance to pick off any ships that try to lock on to the _Dragoon. _The _Diplo_'s Creation Cannons slammed the enemy ship's shields.

"Alright the shields are down target the bridge!!" Cliff yelled.

"Fighters dropping from above!! Sir watch out, they are coming in hot!!" the pilot yelled. Sure enough 30 or so fighters flew in with guns blaring like hornets. Two of the Expellian fighters blew up.

"Damn!! Arghhh!! We're not going to survive long trying to hold out like this!!" Cliff yelled angrily. The people manning the pods hand their hands full, trying to deal with the swarms of enemy craft. They were miraculously still alive, nearing the bridge. The _Dragoon_ was taking heavy potshots from phase cannons and about three ships behind them in pursuit.

"I have a shot!!" Fayt yelled. He squeezed the triggers and he slightly felt the recoil from the huge cannons mounted on the gunpod. The green lasers ripped through the bridge's bridge viewports. "I got it!!"

"God damn it Fayt, that was a damn good shot!!" Cliff yelled through his comm. line.

"That was for Maria man!! I'm gonna take as many as those bastards as possible!!" Fayt yelled.

"Well alright!!" Cliff replied.

"Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!" an earsplitting voice yelled.

"What the?" Cliff started.

"Sir, we just lost the_ Tomahawk_…" the fighter pilot said slowly. They were still celebrating the destruction of the Assault Cruiser. They saw the _Maelstrom Whirlwind_ slowly moving toward the _Diplo._ Its cannons shot a few more rounds at the crumbling _Tomahawk. _The Nedian flagship advanced with swarms of fighters and smaller cruisers towards them. The Diplo was the only Heavy Cruiser left. The Nedian flagship was a class above battleship, which far outstripped the _Diplo. _At that moment the _Dragoon, _immediately rocked by heavy cannon fire.

"Cliff, the _Maelstrom Whirlwind_ is heading towards the _Diplo_, its powering up its weapons. Smaller battleships are locking onto the _Diplo_ as well, what do you want to do?" Fayt asked nervously.

"Alright we're going to have to give all the support we can to the _Diplo,_ all fighters draw fire away from the cruisers. Flights blue and red converge on me, we're taking on the Nedian flagship head-on," Cliff said confidently. He began punching some buttons and accelerated to a faster speed. The people in the gunpods powered up the laser batteries, preparing for battle.

Fighters converged on the _Dragoon, _flying in a loose formation towards the Nedian ship. The ships looked like dangerous hawks flying towards their prey. But in this case, it wasn't sure who would come out on top. The _Dragoon_ spearheaded the attack, it came in with each of its 16 cannons blaring, but just grazing the ship's heavy armor. The fighters that dropped in from behind had even less luck. One blew up in a ball of flame as they maneuvered away from the ship.

"This isn't working," Cliff muttered as he deftly piloted the ship, dodging a cannon blast.

"Cliff go for the bridge!!" Mirage yelled through her comm. She seemed forgotten amidst all the chaos they were experiencing.

"But their shields are still up!! And I don't think the Diplo is in any shape to try and hit it hard," Cliff replied, very insure.

"Just do it!! We got a lucky hit on their shield generator a while ago, that thing is ready to fall, just pummel it!!"

"Easier said then done," he muttered. "Alright, we'll try." Cliff turned the ship around and fixed it toward the Nedian ship's bridge. He accelerated to top speed and flew in. The fighters followed suit. As soon as they came in, Cliff almost immediately pulled up. They were met with heavy pulse cannon fire. The Dragoon made it out alive but the fighters received the grunt of the attack. Only 1 was able to escape.

"Grrr, Gold Leader, that wasn't successful!! We have to pull back to a tactical line, the Expellian battleships have formed a defensive line around the _Diplo_, we have to help them out!!" the last pilot yelled.

"We..we have no choice, all fighter squadrons pull back to these coordinates, we have to regroup." Cliff pulled the _Dragoon_ in full reverse and the ship jetted toward the mass of ships gathering around the _Diplo._

Fayt watched from the gunpod as the Nedian flagship tore apart fleeing Expellian ships. He silently swore and punched his console. "Why, why damn it!! Why do so many people have to die!!" he yelled. His eyes immediately turned clear blue. Everyone felt ripples of energy emanating from him, on the ship.

Cliff swore an oath that made Peppita jump up, as he tore off his headset. He ran up to the gun pods, specifically Fayt's. "Fayt stop!! You might tear part the whole ship!!" Cliff bellowed. He attempted to enter his gun pod, but was thrown back by an invisible force. As if a huge and invisible hand pushed him down.

From the deck of the _Diplo_, Mirage only watched in awe at the _Dragoon. _A bright blue ring formed around the ship. It was at least 40 miles in diameter. At every interval of 30 degrees there was a different symbological rune, each glowing hot white. The power Fayt was preparing to release, was greater than ever before. The Nedian ship immediately began firing at this anomaly. Every blast was absorbed by the blue ring, and then the image of an angel appeared over the ship. It's eyes were closed, but she opened them, for a minute. She looked upon the Nedians, as if in pity or fear; not of them…but for them.

"Gods be praised," Mirage whispered. She quickly realized that there were no gods, since their world was created by other sentient beings. But, still, she was just at a loss of words

She closed her eyes as she uttered one last word. It wasn't standard terran or any other language. The word was like a string of lyrics in a song. Although brief, it still had the depth and beauty of an entire masterpiece line of song. As she spoke this word, Fayt spoke one single word: "Die!" he said. It was in a voice so unlike his, it was demonic and harsh, the complete foil of the beauty the word the angel-image had uttered. A huge rush of blue energy rushed toward the Nedian fleet. The thick column of energy ripped through the entire Nedian fleet as it touched the edge of the gigantic flagship, it seemed time slowed down. The ship was slowly ripped apart. It was almost as if you could hear the mens' screams, but suddenly become engulfed as they entered the void of space. Then after a minute Fayt released the energy it disappeared. It seemed to erase every single Nedian ship, as if they never existed.

Fayt crumpled in his seat and his neck went limp. Cliff immediately rushed to his side. And checked his pulse, with a sigh of relief he felt a constant 'lub-dub' which confirmed he was alive and kicking. He carried Fayt to the small sleeping quarters of the ship and set him on a bed. He returned to the cockpit where Peppita and Ryoko and the others looked dumbfounded. Ryoko was crying.

"I…I've never witnessed the monstrosity we created…it…it is so…terrifying and cruel. Think of the lives that it instantly took…the lives Fayt took…oh god!!" she said. She couldn't bear the fact of her son as a murderer. Cliff had no sympathy for her, instead he was angry.

"How dare you blame Fayt? You were the ones that imbued him with such a curse!! And if you didn't realize it he just saved many innocent lives and our asses too!!" he yelled at her.

She merely whimpered in response to his sudden outburst. Peppita coaxed her then spun around to confront Cliff. "How could you?? She knew that she was at fault, he wasn't blaming Fayt!!" Cliff already knew that, its was just that it seemed he needed to vent his stress from the past weeks.

"Look, I'm sorry but-," his apology was cut short as the comm. Started beeping.

"Gold Leader what the heck was that??" one of the fighter pilots bellowed through the speaker.

Cliff considered his answer first and looked at the emotional mess that was, Fayt's mom. "A miracle," he said simply. He turned around and walked out of the cockpit. He walked down the aft hallway to check out the small view port. He wiped some sweat from his forehead that had perspired during the ordeal. He gazed at the stars and the battered remnants of the Expellian fleet. He spotted the Diplo, it looked like one of the main cannons were ready to fall off. With a short sigh, he let out a loud yell to express all his frustration from the turn of events.

* * *

Fayt lay asleep in a four poster bed. The curtains were deep red and concealed him from anyone's line of vision. The room was richly decorated with lavish plush chairs and a huge gold-framed mirror at the end of the room. The entrance to the room was a thick brown, oak door. There was also a dresser with its doors open, a set of fresh clothes was hanging there. It was actually quite cold in the room. Fayt lay balled up under the sheets furiously hugging a pillow. He pulled up his comforter farther up to stay warmer. He awoke minutes later and his eyes opened wide. He bolted straight up, with a major headache and his body was extremely sore all over. He let himself fall on his bed one more time. He lay there for what felt like hours, which was actually only about 10 minutes. He closed his eyes, attempting to recall what had transpired.

_Wait…we were in space, weren't we? We were fighting the Nedians. Oh no what happened, did we lose? Was I captured? Impossible. The Nedians wouldn't treat a prisoner this well. Unless they are trying to catch me off guard here. No…I don't think so there a safe air about this place. I just can't put my hand on it._

He shut his eyes until he heard his door open, he lay still, waiting for the intruder to reveal him or herself. He took a quick peep and saw Cliff and Mirage, they were quietly making their way in.

"It's ok guys, I'm awake, you don't have to try and be stealthy," he said, tiredly. He didn't bother getting up. They walked over to his four-poster bed and drew one of the curtains.

"How you feeling kid?" Cliff asked. His expression was stoic and impassive. He didn't show signs of emotion. Mirage looked depressed too, despite her usual unemotional demeanor.

"I've been better, but I'm ok. So what happened? I remember being on the _Dragoon, _and we were fighting the Nedians. Then what? Have we been captured? Is everyone else safe?"

Cliff's expression softened up a little, and looked at him bemusedly. Mirage smiled too. "Yeah kid, everyone's fine. You actually saved us all. Your powers manifested and you wiped out the entire Nedian fleet. You should be proud of yourself, you saved a lot of lives." Cliff looked worried afterwards, unsure of whether Fayt would like the news or not.

Fayt turned his expression out the deck door. The sun was beginning to get high, it must have been getting close to midday. He turned back towards them and smiled. "So we won eh? I…I'm glad I helped…" he finished. Unsure of what he wanted to say next he remained silent.

"Well if you're ready get dressed kid, there are clothes in the dresser. We've got a busy day ahead of us," Mirage said. Fayt looked at her incredulously, since when did she call him 'kid'?

"What do you mean Mirage? What's happening today?" he asked cluelessly.

"We're meeting with the Expellian king tomorrow. He wanted push our meeting forward after seeing our amazing triumph over the Nedians. I am confident that he will support us now. Besides, I wanna talk to the main crew before we do anything. If you recall Cliff, I told you that there was some news we received, it isn't good news either."

"Oh yeah that…" Cliff said, his voice trailing off. Fayt looked at them wondering what they could possibly secretly conversing about. Fayt remained silent and walked with them out the door. He observed that the building they were in was richly decorated, much like a palace.

"Hey guys, where are we?" Fayt asked.

"We are in the palace of King Elmond the 14th, the Just. He is the king of Expel, he offered to take us in after seeing us help save his planet. I think we have a good chance of getting his help now," Mirage said. They reached the end of the hall, which marked the end of the living quarters area. They exited into an open air dining room, with numerous round tables with plates and cutlery made of gold. The goblets seemed to glimmer in the morning sun, Fayt found out they were crystal goblets, after examining them later.

"Wow, King Elmond's subjects are treated quite generously," Cliff said. They spotted Albel, Nel and Adray sitting at a table out on the balcony. When they stepped out a gentle breeze touched their faces. The balcony looked out on to a clear, and beautiful, blue sea.

Adray looked up from the plate of food he was gorging. "Mornin' guys," he said casually. Nel and Albel both grunted to show they saw them.

"Hey guys, lemme guess Albel and Nel are fighting again right?" Fayt asked, shaking his head. They both grunted a response. The three took seats around the table. He looked back at the rest of the dining hall. "Where are the others? My mother and Peppita?" he asked.

"Don't worry I told them to watch the Diplo. The ship was heavily damaged so King Elmond offered to repair it in his shipyards," Mirage said. She flagged down one of the servers, who poured her a glass of orange juice

"This King Elmond character, seems quite the gentlemen and generous," he said. He stopped the server before he turned away. The server poured Fayt some juice too. He said he would return with the food cart.

"So Mirage, what did you have to tell Fayt and I before our ordeal?" Cliff asked.

Mirage gulped her orange juice before answering him. "Oh, Maria was captured…but I suppose you guys know that. The real thing is that…she has been captured by Indalecio, the head general of the Nedian Army. He is the Nedian King's right hand man."

"W-What!!" Fayt yelled. He dropped his glass on the floor. It didn't shatter, but then again it was made of crystal. "Y-You're joking right!!"

"No, I'm not…it is a grave misfortune indeed. We were monitoring the news, after Cliff left. That is why I have arranged to align with the Expellians. The Aldians and Vendeeni have also agreed to help us overthrow the Nedians."

"Mirage…what were you thinking!! The Expellians maybe…but the Aldians and Vendeeni?? I won't agree, I'd rather take on the Nedians by myself!!"

"Fayt…why are you being such an idiot?" Cliff asked.

"Cliff, the Vendeeni murdered my father!! And the Aldians killed Maria's father!!" he yelled in utter rage. Fayt bolted upright and ran from the dining room and out into the castle's courtyard. He had his eyes closed and was running blindly out the Main Gate, when he collided into something, hard. "Arghhh!! Watch where you're going!!"

The person he yelled at scoffed. "Just who do you think you are? You can't yell at me like that!!" A female voice yelled.

Fayt scratched his head and then opened his eyes. "Yeah well…woahh," Fayt's voice trailed off. He was looking at a very attractive looking girl with long red hair. Her eyes were blue, and she had an impressive figure. She wore a hugging-combat uniform that was a light green. Her uniform was very decorative. Gold thread lined the sleeves and a complex embroidering was stitched all over the uniform. A blaster rifle hung loosely at her side.

"Well, are you going to say anything?" she asked furiously.

He realized that he had been crying earlier and quickly wiped his tears. "Uhhhhhh I'm sorry…" he said, looking embarrassed.

Her expression softened up and she looked at him with pity. "Oh…have you been crying? Umm I'm sorry if I hit you hard…I wasn't really paying attention either," she said, in a very motherly tone.

"No!! I haven't been crying!" he yelled aggressively.

Her expression hardened again, "WELL!! I'm sorry," she yelled.

"Look, I'm sorry, it's just…well I do feel a little down at the moment…"

"It's ok, I guess. My name's Ophelia by the way. Ophelia Fuller of Tetragenesis, what's your name?'

"Fayt, Fayt Leingod."

"Leingod…? Your father wouldn't happen to be Robert Leingod would it?"

"He is…well was, he died. Why do you ask?"

"Well…he was a college friend of my father…I'm sorry to hear that." It was silent between then for a while until a voice called across the courtyard.

"Fayt!! There you are!!" Mirage yelled. "That was an unnecessary outburst you know!!" It took her a second to see Ophelia. "Ophelia!! You're here, just in time too!! Our audience with the king is tomorrow!"

"Hold on, you know her Mirage?" Fayt asked.

"Yeah, Let's go back into the dining hall, I'll explain. No more tantrums ok Fayt?" Mirage scolded.

Fayt grunted. "Don't worry I'll keep him in check, No more tantrums, okay…you baby!" she teased.

"Hey!!" he yelled, as she chased her inside. Mirage shook her head.

"That kid is so unpredictable sometimes," she said, and she followed after them.

* * *

To Be Continued...

R&R.


	13. Chapter 12: War

**Hey guys...if anyone is still with me. I know its been a while since I last updated. I've just been bogged with school, soccer, life in general....So yeah I was determined to get a chapter finished during winter break, so bear with me guys!!!**

Disclaimer: I own Star Ocean when Rudolph's nose turns black

**

* * *

Chapter 12: War**

After they entered the palace once again, they sat themselves on the table on the balcony as before. Fayt sat down and was a lot calmer than before, and was eating some eggs, hash browns and some sort of Expellian Bacon. Mirage welcomed Ophelia to take a seat opposite from her.

"So Ophelia, I'm glad that you reached Expel in time for our meeting with the king tomorrow. Why weren't you sure if you could make it on time?" Mirage asked.

"Those Nedians have Tetragenesis blockaded, I was lucky to escape. My father created a distraction long enough for my ship, the _Divine Vengeance_, to escape. I…I…feel embarrassed to ask, but I will need your assistance before we fly against the Nedians. We must save my people first." Ophelia didn't look up and kept her eyes fixed on her shoes.

Fayt stopped eating his food and looked over at Ophelia. "Don't worry we'll help you," he blurted at her.

"Thank you Fayt, don't be embarrassed Ophelia. We'll do everything to help you, our goal is to eradicate this threat, so we must do everything to win, one step at a time. Be sides Tetragenesis can refine Neon gas in a way to increase the firepower of our ships. So its both personal and business, don't feel embarrassed at all!" Mirage said reassuringly.

"Th-Thank you," she replied. Fayt gave her a quick warm smile and continued to eat his food. Fayt quietly left the table and wandered around the palace. He left the dining hall and took a right. He trekked down the long hall and passed an opening on the side of the hall. He went through it and found himself in a garden.

The garden was very well kept and a multitude of native plants to Expel were grown and handsomely maintained. The garden extended to outside the palace. He walked out towards the maze of plants. There were also a two people dining on a small table. Probably, part of the royal family.

_I could get lost out here, these shrubs are so high, it looks like some sort of maze. The royal family probably takes walks or 'morning tea' here. Ahh who cares, I'm so messed up right now anyways. Maria…I miss you, just hold on, I'm going to save you. I promise._ He heard a twig break behind him, and he spun around. It was just Ophelia.

"W-what are you doing here Ophelia, did you need something from me?" Fayt asked sincerely.

"No, its just that you kinda left the breakfast table abruptly and I just wanted to talk, I guess."

"Umm…ok so what do you want to talk about?"

"I dunno…why do you look so depressed?"

"Well…its complicated, and kinda difficult to explain. And kinda embarrassing," he stammered. He began to pace back and forth.

"Did you lose someone important to you?" she asked innocently.

"Y-yeah, I lost my friend Maria, they took her. We…we were pretty close…I just miss her I guess."

"Oh, well don't worry you have me now…" He looked up at her like she was crazy. "No!!! I mean like you have our help now, being Tetragenesis and its navy…I mean we'll get her back, I promise!" she said enthusiastically

"Oh, of course…I'm sorry…we should head back…Mirage will probably want to talk to us or something."

"Yeah…how do we get outta here?"

"No clue, we'll just have to wing it," Fayt said and they began to walk down one shrub-hall.

* * *

_Hmmm. Where could those two be? Man Fayt could be scoring some serious…wait no, he wouldn't he is head over heels for Maria. Man that kid is crazy sometimes. He'd probably tear apart the universe for her…he probably could too, I'm not even kidding. Oh! There they are...they're together? Nah…_

"Hey Cliff!!!" Fayt yelled. Cliff waved a hand at him and motioned for him to walk over.

"Hey you two, havin' a date?" Cliff asked bemusedly.

"N-No!!" Fayt exclaimed. Ophelia blushed and let out a short scoff.

"Haha, I'm just playin, Mirage sent me to look for you two. She said the king pushed our meeting forward. We're meeting him in an hour; we're meeting with the Aldians and Vendeeni first."

"Well that's my cue to leave, I gotta change. Where are we meeting up Cliff?"

"We're meeting up in the Conference Wing, Room 16."

"Gotcha, later Fayt, Cliff." She walked past them and continued down the hall.

"So what were you two doing??" Cliff asked slyly.

"Nothing!!" he yelled as he punched Cliff in the face.

"Ooof!!!!" he grunted as he fell to the floor. Fayt sighed and picked him up and carried him to his room.

* * *

"So Fayt are you ready for this?" Cliff asked him. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. _Damn I'm sexy. _Cliff started flexing and his dress shirt wrinkled and tightened around his biceps.

"Stop that Cliff, its weird. And of course, why wouldn't I be ready to talk to our allies?"

"Well, I just wanna be sure you don't feel tempted to blow them up or something," he said seriously. He pulled himself away from the mirror and looked at him seriously. "Look you gotta be behaved alright? You are an ambassador for Earth, essentially."

"Look who's talking you are more likely to get angry at them than me!!"

"Ahh I might have a temper, but I am more used to controlling it," he smiled smugly

"Ahh shut up, let's go!" he snapped at him. The two clambered down the hall and spotted Albel, Nel and Adray sitting at a table in the dining hall.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see Adray in a shirt…or Albel in male clothing," he sneered. Albel was wearing a red dress shirt. "Nel, you are quite gorgeous as usual," he said suavely.

"Oh stop Cliff!!" Nel teased, as if charmed.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that maggot," Albel whispered. He began licking his claw. Cliff cringed and took a step back.

"Hmm I kinda like clothes maybe I'll start wearing them more often," Adray butted in. Everyone sighed and then they continued down to the Conference Hall of the palace. They entered a big round room with a high ceiling. It had a dome top like many of Earth's old churches. They spotted the door with the number 16 in big brass numbers.

Cliff pushed the door open and revealed a long table. Funny, all the conference rooms all look the same. The only outstanding feature was the bottle green books that lined the bookshelves against the wall of the room. Mirage sat on the end with the Aldian and Vendeeni on either side of her. A guard stood against each wall. One Aldian, one Vendeeni. Their stoic faces unchanging, holding their rifles tightly against their chests.

"Tough crowd," Cliff jested. Mirage merely looked up at them and kind of nodded disapprovingly at Cliff.

Fayt sighed. _Right I'd be the one to say something out of line._

"I'm just kidding. How do you do Captain, Commander. I am Cliff Fittir interim leader of the recently reformed Quark. I'm sure my assistant Mirage has informed you of our situation with our true leader," Cliff finished grimly.

The man with the brown beard and old wrinkled face spoke. "Yes Captain Fittir, we are aware of the circumstances. I am Captain Gordon, commander of the remnant Aldian fleet. We have defected from the Nedian controlled Aldia. Our government has been destroyed and we wish to help you place a new Galactic Order." The man spoke very smooth and eloquently. His voice was rich and accented and he looked as if the number of years he had lived surpassed what he looked like.

"As my comrade **Commander** Gordon said, always reluctant to take up his new title, we will assist you in every way possible. I am Commander Wifra, Commander of the remnant Vendeeni fleet. Our ships are yours, our fates are intertwined now." She spoke very airy and mysterious. Her voice was very unlike the hateful voices of the Vendeeni they had encountered. They were accustomed to the harsh male tones of the Vendeeni soldiers. Her voice actually seemed kind and understanding.

Fayt slowly entered the room past Cliff and stopping in front of the two commanders. They both eyed him mysteriously, as if trying to spot something extraordinary. After all these two figures were given orders to capture him in the past.

"Mr. Leingod," Commander Gordon said curtly. He offered his hand. Fayt stared at it for a while and was about to just walk away. Cliff looked over and had a cautious look on his face. Fayt just smiled and extended his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you sir, let's save the universe, shall we?" Fayt said casually. He shook Commander Wifra's hand second then took a seat next to Cliff. The two looked stunned for a second, but quietly took their seats afterwards.

"So, Captain Fittir where are we going to start?" Commander Gordon asked.

Cliff suddenly lost his goofy look on his face, "Erm- I'm sure my dowdy assistant Mirage has all the details, ah yes Mirage!!" he stuttered. Everyone sighed and scoffed at him.

"Well Commander Gordon, everything is proceeding quite well. Sitting to my right is our representative from Tetragenesis, Miss Ophelia Fuller. I'll allow her to describe to you her situation as I organize the rest of my notes," Mirage said as she pulled a load of papers from her briefcase.

"Ah, well yes, as you know Tetragenesis is currently under blockade by the Nedian threat. We will need to eradicate the Nedian threat before we can aid in the attack. Also my spies have encompassed some new information about our enemy. It seems that the leader of this movement is growing in power. New reports from areas of rebellion show 3 or 4 more of these godlike creatures wreaking havoc out there," she paused and pulled out her datafile, and pressed a button. The cube shaped data thingy produced an image of a red-haired man and 6 others.

"As you all know from numerous data reports from your own sources, the red-haired one is believed to be the leader. Now originally they were only three, but now its confirmed there are 3 more reigning terror. Now we have no idea as to how they came to being, why they weren't there in the beginning or maybe they were delayed. The point is they are here now, and they are our problem. One of the many we will face along the way to try to achieve success," she said.

"Now Commander Gordon, I trust you have some info to share us about our current strategic outlook, and how our forces stack up," she finished.

"Ahem-yes thank you currently we have about 20,000 ships gathered…." Commander Gordon began to read off a long list of military statistics. Fayt leaned over to Cliff and began to talk.

"Psst, hey Cliff, I recognize the guy in the green armor…he was the one that got away with Maria," Fayt whispered.

"Hey, yeah you're right…that's kinda creepy, we knew the Nedians were all linked together…but man. I guess you gotta know your enemies huh?"

"I'll say, whatever we'll talk more later, Commander Gordon is finishing up," Fayt said.

"…So we have a considerably large attack force, if it'll be sufficient to take them down is arguable…to say the least. But, from my personal experience and expertise I believe we have the power to eradicate this threat. I'm confident we have a good chance, that is all,"Gordon finished.

"Well is that all?" Mirage asked. Commander Wifra shook her head in approval and checked her notes to see if Gordon had missed anything, she shook her head and agreed everything was in order.

"Ok, I think we've covered everything we need to let's all get up and get ready for the conference with the Expellian King.

* * *

"Hail King Elmond XVI, the Just!!!!" a man in the Grand Hall bellowed.

"Hail King Elmond," other men in the hall chorused. The party entered the chamber. It was a long stone chamber, with pillars lining the sides, and a handsome red carpet leading to the throne.

At the end of the room was a huge golden throne with a old wizened looking man sitting on it. King Elmond was indeed old and had a long, flowing white beard, but his eyes definitely possessed a fire. And the years had not kindled the fire, it looked as if it was still burning. He wore glasses, and upon further inspection he had emerald eyes. He wore a deep blood red cape and a golden tunic underneath it. A richly decorated crown adorned his head, decked with huge green emeralds and red rubies. His advisors sat to his left and right quietly discussing and shooting disapproving glances at the party.

The group walked up to the throne, but were commanded to stop 20 paces away from the throne's base. King Elmond stood up. He possessed a big booming voice. "Friends! Welcome to Expel, in this dire time of misery. I would have wished to meet under different circumstances… I will be direct and will not waste your time. We will aid you in this time of need," he said simply.

Everyone was silent for a while and felt dumbstruck, things were actually going right for a change. Mirage cleared her throat. "Erm-thank you sir, I'm sure you will need to see our plans and discuss things, but we can plan that at a later time-," she stopped. King Elmond was approaching them. He was looking curiously at Fayt.

"Fayt Leingod, I presume?" the old man asked.

"Err yeah, I mean yes your majesty!!!!!!!" he said and took a quick bow.

"Its quite alright dear boy, I just needed a better look at you. You remind me of an old friend of mine…you posess a sort of aura about you. And a king does hear things. You are the reason I changed my mind about joining up with you guys," he said. He began to pace around his hall curiously. This king was quite eccentric…different to say the least.

"Me? What did I do?" Fayt asked curiously.

"I heard you were the one that drove back the evil Nedians…and you protected my people from certain enslavement. A king must recognize such good deeds, and your friends, they aided you in fighting them. You are good people trying to change the universe we live in. And like I said good deeds must be recognized, and I believe in your cause," he ended. He walked back to his throne and sat on it, he smiled.

"Thank you your majesty, we won't betray your trust," Fayt replied.

"I know you won't. So anyways Miss Koas, back to business. My people will summon you when we will meet to discuss the situation and so you can inform me about everything that is going on. Until then, relax, we have quite a journey ahead of us."

"Thank you, your majesty, we'll be waiting for your summons," Mirage said. And with that the group bowed and turned around to exit the Grand Hall.

"Ahem-Fayt, will you stay back?" King Elmond asked.

The others shot him inquisitive looks but he just shrugged. He waved goodbye to them and strode toward the king. Mirage looked on shrewdly and pulled Cliff back.

"Watch over him, King Elmond may be nice, but we don't know if we can trust him…completely. And Fayt is our greatest hope," she whispered in his ear. Cliff nodded and hung back and walked towards Fayt. Nel and Albel also looked on shrewdly but dismissed it.

"Fayt, my boy, I wish to show you something; that might greatly interest you," the King said graciously.

"Well, I am honored you want to show it to me, lead the way your majesty," Fayt said. The king beamed and led him to a door on the side branching off from the Grand Hall. Cliff looked on curiously; he decided to follow them down the hall quietly…well as quiet as he could be.

_Damn it, she should've sent Nel or Albel to track these two. I'm as stealthy as a bat in a bright soundproofed room. _He thought, he shrugged and walked down the hall.

* * *

Maria opened her eyes, still mounted on that monstrous machine as before, Sophia was hung right next to her, and she looked horrible. There were heavy shadows under her eyes, her skin was quite pale almost a sickly color.

_How long has it been since he first used this machine?_ She looked around and didn't see anyone. The room was plain, same as before, nothing different. It was empty, and was quite strange, and eerie.

Suddenly she heard footsteps on the other side of the hall. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. The people walked in, it was Indalecio and his motley crew of men. But she noticed 3 new faces, making 6 in total.

"Men! We are here to discuss the rebellion uprising on Tetragenesis, it is unacceptable. They are resisting our forces and we must crush them. Shigeo, Marsilio, Ruprecht; I'm sending you three with our finest garrison of troops to enforce the failing garrison on Tetragenesis. With that massive show of strength, they will no doubt give up. They have no hopes of defeating three of us with their feeble weapons," Indalecio spat. He was teething with anger. He kicked his cabinet of fine china just to vent some anger.

"Boss, what about King Nede, we can't overthrow him if we're gone," Jyril asked.

"We'll deal with him when they get back!! I mean those puny Tetragenians have no chance of even lasting 10 seconds with us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled. He was pumped with rage and sat down, before he blew up. Maria began to giggle under her breath.

"Ahh, sir it seems our guest is awake," Marsilio hissed, like a snake. Indalecio laughed and peered over.

"Round two," he said menacingly. He jumped across the room and went to the machine's computer and activated it again. Once again the immediate pain hit Maria, and Sophia began to scream again. They both screamed hard and then fell unconscious. In the chamber on the side smoke bellowed out and the mechanical hissing sounds came to a halt. Two figures could be seen in the smoke. "Welcome back, Nicolus and Vesper." Indalecio's smirk turned into a evil grin and he began to laugh maniacally. He walked towards the doors. "I'll make the preparations for your departure men." He couldn't stop laughing down the hall. "Oh Jyril, we must also talk about your friends from Elicoor II…"

"Yes sir…" Jyril replied menacingly.

* * *

"Where are we going your majesty?" Fayt asked. They had been walking down the hall for a while now. It felt as if they were descending downwards. It was getting cold and damp too, the ceiling was lined with some fungus and the air was moist. Finally they reached the end, a dead-end. At the end was some sort of altar. There was a large dragon head sticking out the wall.

King Elmond took off his crown and placed it in the dragon's mouth. There was a loud crack and the door opened up. It revealed a deep cave and a path that led upward. They passed through the doorway, and Fayt was dumbstruck. To their left was a huge golden dragon. It was easily as big as the entire palace. There was also a flowing river of lava on the side that amazingly did not flow towards them.

"That is the ancient Expellian dragon, he is as old as the planet. He guards our most prized treasure…the sword of one of our most fabled heroes. One of the heroes that vanquished the 10 Wise Men the first time around," he finished. He gestured Fayt to ascend up the path. He couldn't quite tell what was at the top, but he assumed it was the sword King Elmond was referring to. King Elmond slowly followed him up. The dragon was still asleep and lay there like a delicate statue.

Fayt reached the top and found an altar. On it was a sword with a crystal clear blade. But its hilt had a simple elegant design. It was a double edged sword, its hilt was wrapped with suede to give its wielder the ultimate grip and comfort. Its sheath lay next to it. Simple black, nothing fancy, but the strap had numerous diamonds embedded in it.

Upon further inspection the clear blade had runes inscribed into it. It must have been an ancient Expellian dialect…but no…it was familiar. They were symbological symbols. After looking at it for a while he realized it said 'destroyer'.

"You can read it can't you?" King Elmond asked seriously.

"Er…yeah, wait how did you know?"

"Your father and I were friends; he told me all about his 'project' and told me to look after you if he died. I only learned of his death 2 weeks ago, after the Executioners disappeared. Originally the runes just gave the sword peculiar properties, it can't break or dent. It is just coincidence that the destruction symbol on the sword is the equal to the gene imbedded in your genetic code. With your powers, who knows what the sword is capable of? So I know about your…condition, I can't imagine how it must feel," he said sincerely.

"Coincidence? I think not; I believe its fate. Still this sword is incredible; I did need a new weapon anyhow. And I have a feeling it won't break even if I juice it up with a jillion watts of energy."

"That it won't, it is made of crystal gemenite, native to Expel. This material is able to absorb near an infinite amount of energy. We refine it with a special ore and then adapt it to different uses. They include our Hyperion Cannons; the armor plating on our ships…power crystals for our guns, the list is endless. In this case we used it for a sword, considering the times back then. It will never break, neither will it scratch or be notched, as I said before."

"Wow…" Fayt picked up the sword and the blade lit up. It became an ethereal blue and hummed with power whenever he sliced the air.

"I didn't expect that but as I said the possibilities are endless," King Elmond said in awe. He opened his mouth as if to speak again, but shut it. "Come, I expect your friends are waiting for you, we have been gone for awhile."

Fayt nodded and sheathed his new sword. He buckled the sheath to his waist, the usual style he did it. They exited the chamber, the golden dragon oblivious to the whole scene.

* * *

Mirage and the rest of the group were lounging in the Palace Courtyard; she was reading some paper, describing the New Nedian Empires' latest affairs. The headline read, "King Nede voted Man of the Year!!". She threw the paper away in disgust.

Suddenly a man came yelling through the door. "The Nedians!!!!!!!!! They've come back!!!" Nel leapt up first and steadied the soldier.

"Pull yourself together soldier!! What is happening!!" she yelled at the man.

"The Nedians have launched another attack!! They've broken through our space defenses and have landed. They are at the main gates!! Our garrison is holding strong but for how long who knows??"

"Alright, good work soldier, alert the king or whoever you are supposed to. Mirage you hear that?" Nel asked.

Mirage was already getting her stuff together and getting the others up. She seemed to be talking to someone on her communicator. "Ryoko, how many? Oh that's not so bad, but wait what? They have one of the 10 with them!!! Oh my god, we'll be right there!!" She pocketed the communicator and yelled at everyone to get moving. "We gotta get to the Main Gates!!" Everyone simply nodded and went ahead.

"Guys wait!!!" a voice yelled, it was Cliff.

"Cliff!! Where's Fayt, where did Elmond take him?" Mirage asked as everyone else filed past her.

"I'll tell you later, Fayt is right behind me, we started running when some soldier told King Elmond the news," he said quickly. Sure enough Fayt appeared a second later right on cue.

"I heard the news lets go!!" Fayt said quickly. Mirage was about to ask about his new sword, but decided to ask about it later. They traversed the Keep's outer walls and passed the outer wall, where numerous soldiers were scurrying about. Men were beginning to mount the fabled Expellian Hyperion cannons. They looked impressive indeed.

Soon they reached the Main Gates, signified by the scene of battle. Fayt was the first to see the big green man on top of the wall tearing through the Expellian ranks. He smiled when he saw him. "Payback time," he whispered under his breath. He broke off from the group and took a giant leap to land him gracefully in front of Jyril. "Remember me?" Fayt asked menacingly.

"Ohhohohohohohohoh!!! My master was right you would play right into our trap. I have you all alone, no friends to help you," he sneered.

"They don't need to waste their time on you, you're all mine fool," he spat coolly. He smiled at the fact he used Albel's word. He slowly unsheathed his new sword 'Destroyer'. It shone blue and surely spelled death for his enemies.

Jyril looked at it and was instantly afraid. "That sword it cant't be…Bah! It doesn't mean you are even half the warrior that vanquished me!!! Come lets fight!!"

Fayt smiled. The sword…it felt strange, almost as if it had a mind of its own, and was merging with his own consciousness. He assumed his normal stance. Jyril rose his huge spear and threw it at Fayt. In a gracious movement he cut the spear right across the center, slicing the entire pole. It was amazing, it was as if his reflexes were amplified by the sword.

"My turn," he growled. He kicked off the ground and left a mini-crater where he stood. He sliced his sword in an arc putting a huge vertical gash in Jyril's armor. He rose his second hand to the sword's hilt then slashed down at Jyril's head. He rose his two arms to try to block the hit. But the blade crumpled his armor and broke his left wrist. If it was any other person or weapon, he could have easily bent the sword.

Jyril was getting angry and desperate. He glanced around the battlefield. He saw Fayt's mother fighting alone. Jyril didn't know that was his mom though, he just knew that a good hero would try to save the innocents first. So he dashed toward Ryoko, totally throwing Fayt off.

"Wh-What the? Mom!!" Fayt yelled.

"Hahaha!!! She's your mother, even better!!!" Jyril yelled. He grasped her tightly in his left hand, and was threatening to crush her. "Lower your damn weapon and surrender yourself or I kill her!!!!" Jyril yelled.

"Fayt don't do it!!! These people…they need you…you must live!!!" she yelled desperately.

"But, no I won't leave you, I'm putting my weapon down see?" he asked as he lowered his weapon and stepped back from it. Everyone seemed to stop fighting around them to watch how it would unfold. Fayt's mother cold still be heard yelling in the background. He let her go as he walked toward him. As they passed each other, Fayt winked at her. He took two more paces then yelled, "Dimension…..Door!!!!" Jyril screamed out to stop him but was too late and felt Fayt's handy laser weapon pierce his back. Fayt knew it wouldn't stop him though.

He jumped acrobatically over Jyril's head and landed next to his sword in between Jyril and his mother. He picked up his blade and watched as Jyril yanked the laser weapon out of his back, and held it to fight. Jyril charged him, enraged now.

He proved more of a challenge now. Fayt had to duck, dodge and parry with the best of his ability to avoid being mowed down by Jyril's brute force. The good news was that Jyril was taxing his strength greatly. Jyril's next blow was more sluggish, which gave Fayt just enough time to charge Destroyer and break the laser weapon, then he swept Jyril off his feet kicked him down and then stuck Destroyer right in his belly. Jyril cried out in pain.

Fayt removed Destroyer and then cut a cross into Jyril's breastplate then cut off his armor entirely. It fell off him and had a loud thud when it fell on the ground. The armor was heavy!!! Fayt walked over to him, "Where is she?" he asked softly.

"Dead!!!" he spat. Fayt's expression didn't change.

"I could cut your head off right now, and I'm heavily weighing my options right now," he said calmly. At that moment Jyril's soldiers decided to rejoin the fight but Cliff and the others beat them back and kept them busy.

"Cut my head off, you won't get any information from me!" he yelled.

" Fine…" Fayt tapped into his powers. His hands began glowing blue, and he placed them on Jyril's face, his face began to burn and he writhed in pain.

"Earth!!!She's in the Federal City, Federal Tower, top floor; she's being held captive by Indalceio!!!! Stop, please stop!!!!!" he yelled. Fayt instantly stopped. He did raise his sword again he placed the tip to his wrists. Jyril thought he was going to chop them off. But instead…he healed them.

"I'll let the Expellians decide your fate, it isn't my choice or right to decide who lives and who dies…" he said and walked away from the gigantic man. Jyril's men had been routed a long time ago, they had all lost their morale when Fayt struck him down. And with that he sheathed his sword, sighed and walked over to his friends.

"How much longer are we going to have to do this," he asked. Not one of them could give an answer. Each one battle worn and tired, the entire party retired to the castle, to prepare for the many battles to come.

Jyril stayed where he was, confused at what Fayt had done, why he hadn't killed him. At any rate he was in no shape to go anywhere, he was too tired and felt too much pain to go anywhere. He was as harmless as a stuffed animal. Soon the King Elmond and his men arrived to detain Jyril and lock him up.

"I never thought the Expellian people would have to be terrorize by your race again," he spat at him. Jyril just shrugged, a broken man or rather omnigod. He was just too confused by the recent events.

* * *

A/N: OK not my best chapter I got a bit of Writer's Block and needed time to figure crap out. After a bunch of crunching numbers or rather words...I was able to finish it. So R&R!!!!


	14. Chapter 13: Retaliation

**Hey people, I know it has been awhile. But I've had school and everything and its been crazy. Just finished exams and we get a bit of a break so I've been able to write this chapter. This is my longest one yet so I hope you enjoy it...if anyone is still reading. But! On with teh show!!!**

Disclaimer: You already know, for sho

A/N: I'm pissed that they might not release SO4 for PS3 (that's my system)

**

* * *

Chapter 13: Retaliation**

Fayt lay asleep in his bed in a dark room. It looked similar to Maria's old captain's quarters in the _Diplo_. Everything was quiet except for the mechanical whirs of the ship and the beeping sounds on his consoles and everything. The clock read Dec. 15th, 2:00 AM EST. That really helped in a foreign space system, you'd think they would try to create a standard time system for the galaxy. But then again considering the parameters and factors that would have to be configured, it would be kind of hard.

_Nearly time. We have to be close to the Tetragene System by now. _He thought. "Lights on," he said groggily. After he rubbed his eyes and paused for a loud yawn he walked over to his console in the wall. He looked up at the screen in front of him. It currently only projected the name of the ship _Justice Avenger XPFSB-12456374-7885875_. "Patch me to bridge control," he said to the comp.

"Connecting," the cool voice said. The screen changed to a picture of the bridge, the captain's chair currently occupied by a sleeping Albel. Fayt sighed and told one of the bridge officers to wake him up. None of them seemed to want to step up. After playing a couple rounds of rock, paper, scissors; an unlucky soul was chosen. The moment he poked him Albel woke up.

"Who dares try to attack me while I'm sleeping!!!" he pulls out his katana and finds his waker, "AHA!! I knew it was you. You've been eyeing me funny since I first boarded this damn ship….Prepare to feel my wrath…" His eyes glinted red, and the bridge official ran for it. Albel was about to chase after him, but Fayt told him to stop.

"First Mate Nox, I will demote you to Second Mate and promote Nel if you don't stay still!!!" he shouted. Albel grumpily nodded and asked him what he wanted.

"Have you located the supply ship that is scheduled to be making a run past here?" Fayt asked.

"Yeah..Yeah, one of those fools tracked it down earlier, its scheduled to pass by in an hour or so, so I told everyone to wait for you in the debriefing room," he replied.

"Why wait for me? Why not someone else?"

"Well, _sir,_ you are the captain of this ship and you are leading the operation, jeez."

"Oh right, lemme just get ready. I'll meet you later, get Nel. And have you picked the soldiers we're bringing along?"

"Yes, I picked them myself, now stop nagging me and I'll see you in 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed. Fayt was afraid his head would blow up, so he cut the connection. Fayt sighed and went to the shower and undressed. He let the cold water hit his face to wake him up.

That's right he was the captain. The Expellians went ahead with their plans to join them and began by outfitting their flagships and battleships with crystal gemenite armor. The gemenite also enabled cloaking abilities, which was essential for this mission to work. The Expellians had made Fayt his own ship. Fayt's new ship was designed especially for him. Its main weapon was an ethereal cannon, hooked right to the ship's main reactor. Essentially it was a very big Hyperion Cannon There was a chamber he could go to, made of pure crystal gemenite. Then there was a well he could put his sword. Through it he channeled his energy to power the Cannon, it was untested, and it could or could not work. But theoretically all the numbers looked good :).

The _Justice Avenger _was shaped triangularly, engines in the back. Then the bridge was perched on top of a column jutting upwards. (Yes much like a Star Destroyer) It had numerous phase cannons located all around the ship. It had 6 Hyperion Cannons, 3 on either side. And had small Creation Guns all around the ship. It had three torpedo holes towards the front. And the front of the ship opened up to reveal the Ethereal Cannon. It had very strong shields, along with an onboard shield generator. The ship was relatively large, but amazingly agile for its size. It was twice as big as a Federation Battleship, and just a little bigger than the Nedian Battleships. The only ship in their arsenal bigger than the _Justice Avenger, _was the _Diplo II._

The Diplo was being completely remodeled and they have only gotten the ship's main systems working, and the projected delivery date was Christmas Day, just in time for their attack on Earth. On the 31st, New Year's Eve Day. They had numerous scientists working on it. Expellians, Klausians, Aldians, Vendeeni, and even Fayt's mother were helping to design and create the thing. The ship was to be the main flagship of the group.

So there Captain Leingod was, finishing his routines and strapped on his trusty new sword. He exited his quarters and greeted some crewmembers passing by. They saluted him, and he did the same in response. He walked down a hallway, trying to remember where the Debriefing room for soldiers was. The hallways of the ship were bright white, and you almost got blinded from walking around. He soon found the room and entered it. It was a big room right next to the hangar. A bunch of soldiers were getting ready in the room. They saluted him, as he entered. Soldiers were putting on numerous types of armor and checking their weapons and strapping them on. He spotted Nel, Albel and Adray setting up by the corner. Cliff and the others had stayed on Expel, attending to ceremonial duties and more important issues.

So Fayt walked over to them. "Are the ships all prepped Nel?" Fayt asked. She had left her in the duty of taking care to it.

"Yes, the _Dragoon, _is all fueled up. And I have notified all the other captains of the fleet, what the signal will be, as to when to move in," she said quickly before he asked again. She gave him a quick smile. "Look, don't worry, your doing fine. Maria would be proud of you, you know," she said reassuringly. She lightly touched his arm before walking away to deal with another matter.

There are 6 ships in total under Fayt's command. The _Justice Avenger, The Divine Vengance, _the Vendeen _Sharktooth, _and three other Expellian battleships. At that moment Ophelia walked into the room, combat ready and everything. She was determined to do her best, to free her planet.

"Ok, all troops participating in the liberation of Tetragenesis, can I have your attention?" he yelled. All the troops immediately stopped talking and took a seat somewhere in front of the tactical battle screen. Fayt activated the TBS, and cleared his throat to talk. "Anyways, men…and women this mission is very important. It is a key strategic point that we must capture in order to even fathom success in the battles to come."

"This mission will have three phases: Phase 1 will be to capture and hijack the Nedian supply ship. We will then pilot the ship onto the Nedian flagship. Our taskforce will attempt to do as much damage possible to create as much disarray as possible. Phase 2 will start with the calling of the fleet to clean up the rest. It will end with my taskforce going planet side, to re-take the Tetragenesis Capital City. At this point Commander Wifra will take command of the fleet and call in Commander Gordon's fleet to help end it. It is a tactic to catch them off guard. So there is a 0% margin of error, if you don't feel confident to carry out the mission, leave now. I'm sorry, but we can't carry any liabilities," he said coldly. No one left. "Well alright, load up on the battle cruiser _Dragoon,_ we're leaving in 10." Everyone got up and saluted him and rushed to the ship.

Nel passed him on the way out and put a hand on his shoulder. She just gave him an approving nod and left the door. Even Albel seemed impressed, and just gave him a little smirk. Adray gave him a quick smile. Fayt suddenly felt a lot more confident and grabbed an assault rifle and a helmet and exited the room into the hangar.

He saw the _Dragoon_ being loaded up. He entered through the ramp and made his way to the cockpit. Kian was at the controls already. "Kian! I didn't know your unit was assigned to me," he said surprised.

"I requested it sir, and your mom sort of told me to keep an eye on you," he said smiling. Fayt chuckled and strapped himself into the copilot chair. Nel, Albel and Adray soon clambered into the cockpit as well.

"This is bridge command, Captain Fayt are you there?" the voice rang inside the cockpit.

"Affirmative I'm here, ETA of supply ship?" he asked.

"About 5 minutes, we just picked them up on the long-range scanners, we're powering the Hyperion Cannons to 'disable' as we speak," the bridge commander replied.

"Good, open up the hangar blast doors, power up the laser airtight doors, get ready guys!!" he yelled.

The supply ship was soon in view and had spotted the _Justice Avenger. _It was maneuvering to avoid the ship but was too late, the ship's cannons fired and caused the supply ship's systems to stop. Soon afterwards, the _Dragoon_ hummed to life and went to work. It quickly latched onto the supply ship. The ship's airtight hatch latched onto the side, and then cut a hole in the supply ship. It was just big enough for the people to get through it.

"I'm leaving Beta Team under your command Ophelia, keep safe," he said. She nodded and cocked her rifle.

"Alright, Albel, Nel, and Adray you're with me. Alpha team you're also with me. Beta Team, hold tight and protect the ship, if anyone or anything spots you, have no mercy. Then have your team leader contact me immediately. Alright let's go guys!" He turned his comm. link on and they ran down the hall. It seems they were located in the main cargo rooms of the ship. They spotted a bunch of food, weapons, and various miscellaneous junk piled high on top of each other. They were in crates chained to the walls.

They reached the end of the room and found themselves in a new hallway. They heard voices down one way. They decided to take the other one, to their right.

"Alright, Alpha Team where's the ship expert?" he asked. A man stepped up. "Where do you suppose the bridge is?"

"Well sir, considering we just came from the supply room I'd say we just have to continue going forward. The main cargo rooms are usually pushed toward the back, right next to the engine room. Then the living quarters, and weapons room; if there is any are very small. The bridge is usually at the very front."

"Thank you. Alright you heard the man, let's keep going. Keep alert, I have a feeling we are going to begin to see more of them now, besides they are probably panicking them right now. We have the element of surprise. He let Nel take the lead; she was the stealthiest of the group.

She paced down the corridor and peered down the corner. She made hand gestures back to the group. She rose three fingers, crumpled her fist(sign for an enemy), and then she pointed right ahead. It meant three enemies ahead.

Fayt answered back by punching his hand with his fist slightly, meaning she was 'weapons free'. She gave him a little smirk and watched her go to work. She disappeared in front of their eyes and appeared behind one of the soldiers. She slit his throat, then kicked the other in his throat. Then she wheeled around to suffocate the last man. After he stopped struggling, she signified it was all clear.

Suddenly his comm. was beeping. "Captain Leingod, we've encountered the enemy!!! We need backup!!"

"Alright, I'm sending Alpha Team back," he replied. He gave the soldiers a quick nod and they dashed down the hall.

"We're gonna have to fight our way to the bridge on our own," Fayt said.

"Alright!! Those worms would just get in the way anyways!" Albel said bloodthirstily. They continued down the hall and took two lefts followed by a last right. Then they walked right into a company of soldiers sweeping the ship.

"Damn!! We've made contact!!!" Fayt yelled. The three agily dodged the first round of fire from the soldiers. It gave them time to draw their weapons. Albel had gotten a shotgun from the weapons rack in the ship. He smiled when he pumped it. He dodged another round and jumped over the line of troops. When he was upside down in the air he unloaded three shells into the heads of three sorry Nedians.

When he landed he unleashed his katana and fought with a katana in one hand and shotgun in the other. Fayt chuckled and let Albel have his fun. In no time at all the 'demon' had his fill and had killed all 6 of the soldiers. "Piece of cake," he said haughtily as they walked to him.

"I expect they've heard us now, well in any case they were bound to hear us let's keep going." They continued down the hall and kept trying to go as forward as possible. They encountered more and more resistance along the way and they couldn't just let Albel rampage this time. It looks like they had reached the bridge entrance. There were numerous soldiers trooped in front of a big double door bulkhead and a small number of steps in front of it.

"I think we've reached the bridge!!!" Adray yelled as they ran back down the hall trying to find cover.

"Really now you big oaf?" Albel yelled back. They scurried to the corner to find cover, there were at least 20 soldiers decked there. At that moment they heard footsteps down the hall they came from.

"Damn! They're trying to surround us, alright we need a solution quick," Fayt yelled.

"Easy," Albel replied.

"What?"

"We kill them all!!!" he yelled as he brandished his katana and stormed down the hall. About a minute later he came back down yelling "Holy Crap!! That's a lot of soldiers!!!" Everyone sighed. Adray cast a ward around their group and took on the group in front of them head on.

Well at least the worst news was that there was a mounted gun, other than that that was all. Fayt immediately brandished 'Destroyer'. With his energy running through the sword, he could deflect most photon rifles and disrupter rifles with it. He dashed in front of the group gracefully deflecting each bolt, waiting until he held them to the reload. At that moment the soldiers knew they were done.

The one closest to them whispered, "…Shiiiiitttt!!!!" Albel prounced with katana and shotgun and got to work. Adray used his brute strength to cut them down and Nel used her agility and quickness to dodge any enemies and cut them down. The wards were really helping. Fayt experienced three instances where Adray's wards immediately saved his life. They took down the man on the mounted rifle and stared at the big door in front of them.

"Sooooo, how do we get in, any ideas guys?" Fayt asked. Albel was about to open his mouth but Fayt yelled, "EXCEPT for beating the hell or shit out of it, Albel."

Albel pouted and examined the highly intriguing looking mounted blaster. Fayt sighed and took out Destroyer.

"Umm Fayt maybe we should deal with the soldiers coming so we aren't surrounded…again," Nel suggested.

"Good…idea," he said slowly. Albel smiled.

"Do I get to use my new toy???" he asked

"Yes Albel you can use it," once again the group sighed at his willingness to kill people.

As soon as the first soldier rounded the first corner, Albel began to fire like there was no tomorrow. The trooper was blasted into the air and yelled like an old lady. Fayt took out his assault rifle and began to pick off some of the oncoming wave. Adray was kept busy attempting to keep his wards up. A stray blast caught him though, finding a hole in his protective spell. He was out cold.

"Oh no Adray!!!" Nel yelled. Fayt unsheathed Destroyer and attempted to parry the oncoming blasts but, there were just too many. A blast singed Albel on the shoulder and hit Nel on the back.

"Damn, we really need some reinforcements!!!" Fayt yelled through his comm. link. At that moment, as if an answer to his prayer. Members from Alpha Team came in immediately doing work. They came down from the opposite hall and caught them off surprise. Fayt and Albel joined to help clean up.

The two jumped into the fray fighting back to back. They matched each other's moves perfectly, when Fayt sliced one enemy Albel poked his gun from behind his shoulder and put a shell into the man's face. Then they switched sides and handily dispatched two oncoming soldiers handily. He slashed one vertically and immediately twisted his blade around to catch the other in the stomach. Albel used his katana to knock the soldiers gun out of the way, who was about to shoot. Then he pointed the shotgun at the man, point-blank and put a hole in the man's stomach.

As Albel reloaded his shells, Fayt jumped over his head and brought his sword down on the next soldier's head. As soon as his feet touched ground he jumped over Albel again, still reloading to cut down the other soldier attempting to shoot him. Two instant kills. The two bodies lay limp on the floor.

There were two more soldiers on either side of them, aiming at them. Albel was done reloading and mercilessly shot one soldier in the head with the shotgun, his helmet not helping him there. The blast had actually blown his helmet clean off his head. Then, he turned around and threw his katana at the man on the other side. It got stuck in the gun as he was about to shoot. Albel smiled and just pried his sword and stepped back, he gave him a peace sign, as the gun backfired and exploded in the soldier's face.

The two looked at each other and smiled, they high-fived and looked at the scene around them. Alpha Team was finishing up with dispatching the men and looked on admiringly at their handiwork.

"Good-job fool," Albel said, actually grinning.

"You, too partner," he replied grinning. "Captain Kian, good work I'm promoting you if we live through this. You saved our lives you know?" he said as he clapped him on the shoulder

"Well shucks Fayt, thanks, now let's get this door down," he replied. Fayt had assigned Kian to lead Alpha Team on this mission, and had come at the exact time.

Fayt looked at the door and charged up Destroyer. He looked over at Nel who was finished healing Adray, who was good as new. They nodded at him and he slashed at the door and cut it like butter and the door crumpled onto the floor into two pieces. Everyone braced themselves as they entered the bridge.

* * *

Cliff watched on from the viewing deck of the Expellian Shipyards. He watched his beloved _Diplo _get reworked in front of his eyes. The designers had finished working on it and donned it as 'the greatest project the universe had ever seen'. It would be a ship that could rival the Nedian flagship in both size and firepower.

He nearly cried when they had stripped it down the week before. The design of the ship was simple. The old ship would become the bridge of the new larger ship. It would be right in the center, and then the rest of the ship expanded outward from it. It was shaped as an oval. It had 16 Rolls Royce Space Turbines. Each producing about 1 million tons of thrust, in the back of the ship. The engines were protected by a half-dome, not isolating the engines but merely protecting it. It produced its own shield.

It had two 'wings' that fanned out from the center of the craft. Then they curled upward producing a circle that didn't close. The two main Hyperion Cannons were mounted there; they were relatively big ones too. Two stabilizers were also mounted there as well, they provided the ship very good mobility. On the outside of the half-ring wings were lined by creation cannons, 16 on either half-wing, amounting to 32 in all. Then the rest of the ship was outfitted with phase and disrupter cannons all over. It had numerous torpedo holes throughout the body, too many to count.

The whole front of the ship, the part in front of the bridge, was comprised of two decks the top deck was an entire hangar bay, it could comfortably fit two battleships inside it, three would be stretching it. The top opened up, in the center revealing a laser air-lock layer for ships to pass in and out of it. The lower deck was entirely living quarters and dining area. It had rooms for the crew, and allotted a lot more space for more soldiers. It could house the entire garrison of the Federal City which was almost 100,000 strong. The tail end of the ship was mostly engine room, and ground assault vehicles.

Cliff looked from the viewing deck and admired the work they were trying to finish. It was indeed a masterpiece. They had engineers from all over working on it. The Klausians were immediately called to design the structure of the ship. They were known for producing very large ships. Fayt's mother incorporated the raw firepower put into Federation battleships. The Aldians and Vendeeni both supplied their own devices. They had smaller roles, but nevertheless helped. The Expellians oversaw all the technicalities such as the Hyperion Cannons and Engines, and just making sure the thing would work.

Cliff was reminiscing about the previous day. Cliff was actually reunited with his father the other day. The 'Honorable' Kirk Fittir. He was head of the Klausian Armed Forces.

2 Days Ago….

"They're remodeling the _Diplo_?" Cliff yelled.

"Cliff, calm the heck down!!!!" Mirage yelled. They were on their way to the Expellian Shipyards to meet up with King Elmond and oversee the battle preparations. They had taken a light transport vehicle, just T-16 Hovercraft. It had 4 hover pads that kept it about a foot off the ground. It had a simple windshield and had two seats with a trunk in the back. They reached the beginning of the complex. The Expellians dug out a really big crater for their ship yard, it was about 2 miles in diameter. The office space and viewing decks were built into the sides of the crater.

Cliff and Mirage looked on at the machines that were fast at work constructing numerous ships. The _Diplo II _took up half of the entire complex. Its skeletal structure could be spotted, it was going to be a huge ship indeed. There were three more docks on the other side that housed the Klausian _Hawk. _And the two docks next to it were busy at work, constructing the _Tomahawk II, _replacing the one they had just lost in the previous battle.

Cliff looked tense as they were on the elevator and it went up. "Cliff are you okay?" Mirage asked.

"Uh yeah, fine, just fine," he stammered. He was sweating beads and seemed nervous, Cliff was never nervous.

Mirage sighed, "He is just your dad…" she said.

"I know, but he doesn't think you're a big failure!!!! He is so friggin ashamed of my sorry ass that he can't even look at me straight!!!!" Cliff burst out. He was so unlike himself, anxious, nervous, scared…

Mirage suddenly hugged him. "He was never around when I was a kid!!! A father is supposed to take care of his son, not shun him or shut him out of his life!!! And when my mother died…he didn't really try any harder!!! Why is he so surprised how I turned out!!!" Cliff yelled. Boy was he pissed.

Mirage coaxed him and patted his back. "Look, you aren't a failure…you've influenced the galaxy so much just through your actions. Just look at Quark, you helped save the universe, and you're fighting to save it again. So stop selling yourself short and suck it up!!" she finished.

Cliff cooled down for a second and nodded. They entered the room and discussed their preparations for the war, and Cliff was reunited with his father.

"Dad, how are you," Cliff asked without really looking at him.

"Good. Late as usual Cliff, King Elmond said you were supposed to be here an hour ago," he said strictly. Cliff was the spitting image of his father. Only Mr. Fittir had a more wrinkled face and his blond hair wasn't as blond as it used to be.

"S-Sorry sir," he stammered as he sat down. They got to work and that was the end of it.

Present…

Cliff sighed again on the couch. "Good old dad," he said under his breath. At that moment the door to the room slid open revealing Mr. Fittir. Cliff jumped up and greeted him.

"Hey Dad, er I mean sir."

"Cliff, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"I don't catch your meaning sir."

"Well…I know that I wasn't much of a dad when you were younger… But, what I'm trying to say is that I want to try and makeup for lost time. Son, will you forgive me?" he asked and opened his arms as if to embrace him.

"Well, I mean…of course!!!" he said and father and son began to weep like big over muscualr crybabies in each other's arms. Stuff like "I love you son" and "Dad its ok, we can work it out!!" were heard throughout the entire complex.

Mirage was standing outside the door and was smiling. "I knew it would work out," she whispered. She turned on her heel and carried on with what final paperwork she had to complete.

* * *

"Take him down, Take him down!!!" Fayt shouted. Their group was pinned down and split up on the bridge. Fayt, Nel, Albel and Adray were on one side of the bridge taking cover behind some computers while the rest of the troop were taking cover and scattered positions. This one soldier had this lazer bazooka and kept them pinned down.

Fayt had had enough. He focused then yelled, "Dimension Door!!!" he disappeared and appeared behind the soldier and cut him in half through his torso. Destroyer's bright blue blade cut through like it was butter. When he was down the troops were able to recover and route the remaining soldiers.

"Get me a line with the _Sharktooth,_" he yelled to one of the Alpha Team members. "Ophelia have your team run a sweep of the ship, we've taken the bridge, I'm gonna have Alpha Team follow suit."

"Roger Fayt, I'm on the way to the bridge as we speak," she replied. Fayt turned off his communicator once Commander Wifra's face appeared on the main screen.

"Woah Fayt, you look like hell," she said.

"Thanks, you try sacking a whole friggin ship. Anyways we have successfully obtained control over the Nedian supply ship. I'm gonna clean the place up and will alert you when we go into Gravitic Warp into Tetragenisis's orbit. I'll contact you once we've disabled the command ship there."

"Copy, over and out Captain Fayt," the main screen blanked and produced an image of space again. They saw the _Justice Avenger, _along with the _Sharktooth_ on the starboard side of the Nedian Supply Craft.

"Alright people we have about 20 hours to get the ship clean, clear out the bodies, and get into Nedian Battle Suits, let's move it!!!" he yelled, Everyone sprang to work to clean up the blood, guts and any other signs of struggle. Before the left extra troops from the _Justice Avenger boarded the craft._ Then, they entered gravitic warp just in time so the ship would arrive on schedule. They had disguised themselves as the Nedians and nothing looked out of order.

"Wait Fayt, you can't be seen at all until we actually start blowing stuff up, you too Ophelia!!" Nel exclaimed.

"You're right, our cover would be blown. The Nedians have no idea who you guys are, so it will be fine. Alright Albel you have the Captain's Chair, Ophelia and I will hang out in one of the more isolated wings of the ship, just come to us when its time."

Albel smirked. "YES!!! I'm the Captain!!!! Woman, go make me a sandwich!!!" he yelled at Nel. Nel looked furiously from Fayt to Albel. She looked at Albel like he was a raving madman…more than he already was.

"Albel, get real. But someone is going to have to make him a sandwich. NOSE GAME!!!" he yelled. He immediately put it on his nose, Ophelia did it second, Nel third. That meant…

"Like hell im gonna make that brat a sandwich," Adray grunted. The other three just shrugged at him and Adray grunted. He stormed down the hall to find god knows where the mess hall was. Fayt and Ophelia trooped down the hall.

"Let's hide in one of the aft corridor supply closets, they'd never look their," Fayt said.

"Yeah you are right, they only really check the main cargo rooms when these ships come in," Ophelia replied.

Couple hours later…

"Captain Nox, we are coming out of Gravitic Warp!" the helmsman yelled.

"Great, what do you want me to do about it?" Albel asked stupidly. "And why the hell are you yelling at me?" he growled.

"Umm s-sorry sir, just thought that you would like to know," the poor helmsman mumbled.

"Well fine then, just get us into the damn ship and I want a group to make another round around the ship to make sure all the loose ends are tied up," Albel ordered. The men nodded and got to it. As the group left the bridge, the bridge doors, or what was left of them opened up. Adray came storming in with a plate with a sandwich and a bottle of water in his other hand.

"Here is your damn sandwich _captain,_" Adray hissed through his teeth. Albel sneered at him, but thanked him all the same.

The ship was piloted toward the biggest Nedian ship they could find. They presumed it was the flagship.

Sure enough in a couple of minutes the ship opened a contact line with them. "Nedian supply ship XK-9, you are late on schedule," a Nedian commander said as he appeared on the main screen of the bridge.

Albel spoke up, "Sorry sir, our ship ran through a nebula and our gravitic warp engine got busted," he replied. Everyone on the bridge was speechless. They didn't know what was more surprising, that Albel knew what a nebula was or that he didn't use fool in his sentence.

"Oh that is all well captain, land your ship in section 3f of the hangar," the man replied and the screen blanked and showed the void of space once again. Albel sighed and took a deep breath.

"That was horrible!!!! So that is what being polite feels like, that man was a down right fool!!!!!!!!!" Albel fumed. He seemed happy again after saying fool. They piloted the ship into the hangar and found the space '3f' painted on the metallic surface in fading red paint.

"Alright you fools, when they send the team to check the storage that is when we will jump them. Then we will give their uniforms to Fayt and Ophelia and then we will act from there. Understood?" Albel asked.

"Yes sir!" the bridge crew replied. They turned away and moved to the storage room.

"Alright Nel you me and Adray will welcome the fools on board, lead them to the storage room then we kill them!!!!!" Albel said happily. Nel and Adray sighed as Albel skipped along and the other two followed him. They walked onto the already open ramp leading out to the hangar. A group of 4 soldiers with shiny golden armor on. Each had two shotguns hanging from either side of their hips.

_Oh shit…_ Albel thought…_We've been found out…_

"Captain I presume?" one man asked. He was the commander that had greeted them on the way in.

"Err yeah that is me, shall I lead you foo-er I mean gentlemen to the cargo room? I assume you are here to get the cargo, correct?" Albel asked anxiously.

"Oh yes, of course. Lead the way captain."

Albel smiled fakely and gave Nel a concerned look. Something definitely felt wrong. Adray didn't seem to notice anything strange, and was actually having a striking conversation with one of the soldiers about weight lifting. As they were walking along the man stopped and rose his gun to the back of Albel's head.

"Sorry _captain_, but you can't fool us. We can access our ships' computer logs from any main flagship and we saw your carnage and murder of the ships' crew. Only one question, where is the man of the hour?"

"Who could you be talking about?" Albel asked slyly.

"You know who, where is Leingod," he spat.

"So I'm sure you've told everyone about your great capture and that you have reinforcements on the way as we speak?"

"No only the leaders of the ship are aware. One, Nedian command would punish us for letting a slip up in defense. And 2 I don't want anyone else to take the credit. So where is he?"

"You fool you should have contacted your leaders, you are going to regret it, maggots now!!!" Albel yelled. He unsheathed his katana in a flash and cut the man holding a gun to his head's arm off. He writhed in pain. Around him Nel had her daggers out agily dodging around the men holding guns. She was able to cut them all and disarm them.

Adray shrugged at the guy he was talking to and punched him in the face, knocking his lights out. "We're not exactly being stealthy are we, the whole damn ship is going to hear us!!" Adray shouted as he wrestled another soldier to the ground.

"To hell with stealth!!!" as he plunged his katana into the man's stomach, finishing the job. This one soldier on the ground pretending to be dead reached for one working shotgun, was kicked by Nel, in the head. He fell limp, dead.

"Well I suspect the whole ship is in blazes right now, Nel contact the bridge tell her to go ahead and contact Wifra. I'm going to contact Fayt," he said as he pulled out his comm. "Hey Fayt meet me at the exit ramp, we've been found out." He changed channels and contacted his troops. "Men meet me at the exit ramp, be alert, we've been found out."

He paced along the corridor but they heard footsteps along the hall. It was Fayt and Ophelia. "Albel what went wrong?" Fayt asked, concerned.

"They can access video from their main flagships. They probably checked the ship records as we came in. Luckily they tried to be greedy and didn't alert their command center. So what now, you've got the lead again."

"Alright so we may or may not be attacked if we go out there and it seems like they haven't boarded us yet. Alright here is the plan. Me Ophelia and Adray are going to try to take the bridge, I'll take Kian's group. While you two are going to try and make your way down to the shield generator and engine room. I'm hoping they will be too focused on stopping us and will draw attention away from you guys." As he said that Kian's group of soldiers came down the hall.

"What went wrong?" he asked. Albel explained and Kian swore, they told him the plan and he agreed. They gave orders to the bridge crew to assemble by the ramp. Once everyone was organized, Fayt took charge.

"Alright guys we going to try and secure the hangar. From there we will proceed to the bridge, a good portion of you will stay and secure the area. Alright let's go!!" He led the way off the ramp, and was met with immediate fire. He dodged and looked around, the hangar was teeming with soldiers.

"Nel, Albel!! You guys know what to do!!!" he yelled. He unsheathed his sword and run straight into the fray of soldiers. Nel and Albel followed closely behind him, as he cleared a path for them to run through. Albel hacked his sword from left to right until they reached a doorway branching off to the side. When Fayt saw them clear, he charged his blade with power and swung it like a jackhammer, sweeping multiple soldiers off their feet. Adray was quick at work working a ward around him from behind cover, with allied soldiers protecting him.

It was a bloody slugfest in the hangar. On either side of the huge hangar there were soldiers taking cover and shooting as they found opportunities. But Fayt's display of swodsmanship was unbelieveable. He was hacking, cleaving, and sweeping left to right. In the center of the hangar you saw a huge mass of gold and one lone soldier in the center totally wreaking havoc on their forces.

The Nedian troops began to back off, fearing the death blade 'Destroyer'. The Nedians were backing up against the far wall, forming a protective wall protecting the exit to the rest of the ship. Fayt looked menacingly at them as his men took defensive stances around him. "It seems like the whole ship is coming to greet us…excellent. Well it is all good, let's go!!!!!!!!" he yelled as he charged forward. The blaster bolts glanced off Adray's wards as he rushed forward. Adray took time to cast an explosion at the advance group and the soldiers caught in the blast screamed out.

_Hurry up Nel and Albel_ he thought and sighed as he cut down his next foe.

* * *

"Alright, where the hell is the damn engine room!!!!" Albel yelled. They seemed to be lost in the huge ship. They were facing this door that said 'engine room'. Nel slapped him and she pointed at the door. "Oh," he said stupidly. They quietly stepped in. There was just one engineer in the room looking at one gauge on the wall. They crept towards him, and then Albel tapped his shoulder. "Hey pal!"

Then he turned around dumbly then Nel jumped up and then clubbed him on the head with her dagger.

Albel kicked his body, "useless fool, you would think they would have a stronger fool protecting the ship's engines."

"So how do we blow it up?" There were two huge tubes placed vertically on the wall, with green fluid coursing through it. There were numerous pipes on the wall, and the room was quite steamy.

"I have an idea!!!" Albel said excitedly. Albel pulled a thermal detonator from his belt and attached it to the tube. It blew up and caused the tubes to crack. A loud whimper sounded, probably from the engines.

"Well done, let's get to the shield generator room, it is right across the hall," Nel said.

"How did you find that out?" Nel pulled out a data disc that provided a floorplan of the entire ship.

"I snagged it off the dead engineer's body, not so useless after all huh?

"I guess," he scoffed as they dashed out the room.

* * *

"Hiya!!" Fayt yelled as he cut down this soldier. Except he was suddenly thrown off balance by a huge rock of the ship. He still smiled as was thrown back. _Well done Albel, Nel._ He looked up and was facing the shield wall separating space and the inside of the ship. He saw Commander Wifra's _Sharktooth_ accompanied by her fleet. And then his _Justice Avenger _arrived shortly after with his fleet. It made him smile even more. As he was getting up he saw a man pointing his gun at him. The soldier was smiling but he suddenly shrieked in pain.

"Yeah take that yah bastard!!" Adray yelled, he had hit him with a lightning bolt. He helped him up and smiled. "Let's finish the mission, eh captain?"

"Yeah! Kian gather group and follow me, we are taking the bridge!!!"

* * *

"Oh Apris!!!!!!!!!" Nel yelled running from the room of blazing enfermo. Albel followed…they were being chased by a soldier.

"Check the map woman where we going now? We just took down the shields!!!!"

"I dunno, Fayt said that he was going after the bridge right??"

"Uh yeah…alright let's go then."

"One problem, what about skippy shooting like hell behind us?"

"Oh, I almost forgot about him," Albel turned around and took out his shotgun that he snagged from the men on the ship. The man sprinting behind them tried to slow down and turn the other way. Too late. Albel shot and the man was running into the blast but was suddenly violently flung backwards.

"You know, your recklessness does wonders sometimes," Nel said in awe.

"Why thank you, let's go to the bridge, the skipper is waiting." Nel scoffed and checked the map briefly, then took the lead.

* * *

"Man I am getting tired of this!!!" Fayt yelled as he cut down the last man defending the bridge.

"Of what?" Adray asked as he clubbed a man with his katana.

"Like fighting through hordes of men and taking over ships, it is getting kind of repetitive, you know us killing masses of them. I guess all in a day's work right?"

"Yeah I guess so, okay Commander Wifra's fleet has made contact. What are we gonna do now?"

"Well we have to contact Nel and Albel, they obviously accomplished their mission. Oh yeah, hey Kian program the ship to run a crash course into the other Nedian ships, then hardwire the bridge door so they can't get in."

"Right, I'll get onto it, come on boys you heard the man!" he gestured to his troops. As Fayt was trying to change his comm. link's channel Nel and Albel came through the bridge doors. They were examining the mangled mess of troops, probable killed by Fayt.

"Nice job you fool," Albel said. He continued to admire Fayt's handiwork.

"Good job you two, are there still a lot of soldiers about the ship?"

"Yes, but they are in total disarray and have no way of escaping, since we still have the hangar secured." Nel said.

"Good, alright make your way down to the hangar prep the ship and crew to leave, I'm just gonna wait for Kian to finish up."

Kian and his crew happened to be done as Fayt spoke and ushered them all out as he hard wired the door.

"No way they could get through that, we encrypted it with a complex 100 character code. The ship will be blown to smithereens by the time they decrypt it."

"Good job guys, we executed the mission well, all we have to do now is do well planetside," Fayt said. Everyone nodded and they began their trot towards the hangar.

When they reached the hangar they heard loud yelling and shots being fired.

"What the hell, I thought we had it secured!!" Fayt yelled. He took out his sword and the others followed him as they dashed into the hangar. They witnessed a scene of destruction. Numerous ships in the hangar were falling apart and two gigantic men in the center had their troops scattered across the hangar bay.

"Are those two of the 10?" Nel asked.

"Probably, I didn't expect them to be here," Albel said.

"Alright guys be on guard, these guys are strong and I don't want anyone to get hurt," Fayt said. "Kian, we'll distract the Wise Men, get to the ship and prep it to leave. Just in case we can't take them, we gotta be ready to fly."

"Yessir!!!" he replied. He took a quick salute and got to it. They ran across the hall when one of the huge men leapt at the group. Fayt quickly stepped up to deflect the blow. The Wise Man seemed surprised.

"Hmm, you're different, you seem stronger than these other weaklings," the man said. He wielded a gigantic ax, bigger than Fayt.

"What makes you say that?"

"No one has deflected any of my blows in centuries."

"Ah don't make him feel special Marsilio."

"Quiet Ruprecht just deal with the others, this one is mine."

"Alright, this should be quick," Ruprecht said. He brandished a thin longsword and a shotgun that hung on his hip. Albel smiled as he pulled out his katana and his shotgun he had grown to like.

Nel pulled out her daggers and Adray just assumed his normal stance. Ruprecht suddenly moved in a flash and tackled Adray against the wall with his whole body. He was out cold and blood trickled down Adray's neck.

Nel shouted in rage and she moved to attack him. Ruprecht swung his sword at Nel and she stopped it with her dagger, and then he clubbed her with his shotgun, it caught her shoulder hard and she staggered backwards. Ruprecht aimed to shoot her at point-blank but, Albel kicked the shotgun upwards. He held onto it but his arm seemed to freeze in the air. Albel lunged at the opening but Ruprecht parried with his sword.

Nel used the distraction to jump up and kick Ruprecht in the face. He staggered backwards and Albel shot him in the side with his shotgun.

"Damn you!!" he yelled out in agony as he was thrown backwards. Meanwhile Marsilio and Fayt were already in a battle only increasing in heat. Fayt was having difficulty getting a strike at Marsilio due to the size of his ax. It literally created a barrier between them. And Marsilio's strength was so great he wielded the ax with major speed as well.

He was beginning to tire so he simply sidestepped, dodging each blow. As Marsilio raised his ax to bring its full weight down on Fayt, Fayt quickly locked his weapon in the air by raising his sword to the ax. Then in a quick motion he quickly skimmed Marsilio's hand and aimed a strong sidekick at his stomach. He expected to get a good solid hit but was stopped by Marsilio's opposite hand. Then he brought his cut hand to twist Fayt in the air. Fayt was sent spiraling backwards, he quickly recovered and faced his opponent again. Marsilio had dropped his ax and was debating whether to fetch it yet or not.

Back to Nel and Albel's fight…Ruprecht stripped his armor off, it was only weighing him down. They saw how the shotgun shell had really torn apart his side. It was a bloody mangled mess, but he seemed to have shrugged it off.

"Damn, swole body!!" Albel exclaimed. Ruprecht really was huge and muscular, a lot like the other Wise Men.

"I swear Albel, I sometimes think you are gay," Nel said.

"Woman, I'm going to kill you once we have defeated this fool." Albel rushed forward again, in an attempt to strike the man still recovering. Ruprecht grinned evily, he lifted his shotgun, and shot it at the uncoming Albel. "Shit…" he whispered. He brought up his claw to defend himself. The blast tore off the claw but, it did protect him. He was flung backwards and it revealed his already damaged arm. He was also out cold.

"Albel! I'm gonna make you pay!!!" She used her flying guillotine skill and flung it at Ruprecht. Then she jumped on the swirling energy guillotine, and rode it towards Ruprecht. He got ready to block it, but then Nel jumped up. Ruprecht lost concentration and got caught by the guillotine. He staggered backwards a second time, it wasn't over, Nel brandished both her daggers and thrust them into his body as she landed. He still wasn't dead.

"Damn, why won't you die!!!!!!!" Nel yelled. She lost concentration and Ruprecht was already storming at her, he stabbed with his longsword, and luckily it hit her rib, it broke it but it didn't strike any major organs. She fell backwards and Ruprecht was already standing over her ready to deal the finishing blow, when she heard him scream out in pain again, She suddenly saw a katana sticking out his stomach.

"Payback is a bitch maggot," he said as he pulled the sword out. He screamed in agony and then fell on the floor. Albel slumped to the floor and fell crippled next to Nel. Ophelia came out of the ship with Kian and picked up Nel, Albel and Adray. As they were going back in she yelled at Fayt.

"Fayt, come on! Let's go the ship is ready!!"

"I'm a little busy here!!" he said as he parried another tremendous blow. Ophelia sighed and shook her head. "Come on Kian, he'll be ready to go once the ship is all powered up." Kian looked back and nodded as they pulled the three to the medical wing of the ship.

He parried a second blow but his arm was growing sore. _I have to end this_ he thought as he sidestepped and dodged another blow. He threw a quick combo at him. He striked high, middle, and low in rapid sequence. He faked a strike to his head, and Marsilio fell for it and blocked upwards, and then Fayt plunged 'Destroyer' into his belly.

"Arghhh!!! You bastard!!!!!" he yelled. Fayt pulled out the sword and he gave Marsilio a quick peace sign as he boarded the ship. The ramp closed and Fayt was panting.

"Go now, go now!!!" he yelled into his comm. link. The ship's engines whirred to life and it shot out of the hangar.

"You won't get far!!" he yelled as he was about to fly out the hangar but suddenly he felt a hard rocking and the everything around him was beginning to blow up. "NOOO!!!! Indalecio…I'm sorry!!!!" The ship was crashing into another Nedian battleship. It was surely a sight to see. It caused the ship to crash into the next one, then the next one and then the next one, and so on. It eliminated a bulk of the Nedian ships. Soon the space forces were thinned out and they were scattered among the Allies' fleet.

"Make sure no ships escape, we can't have Nedian command to find out about this!!!" Fayt yelled into his comm. as he was walking to the bridge. Suddenly all the battleships began to fire mercilessly as the remnant ships. Fayt made it just in time to the bridge to watch the _Justice Avenger _tear apart the last Nedian ship. Fayt smiled grimly.

"Get me Commander Wifra," Fayt said tiredly. The troop nodded and opened a line with the_ Sharktooth_. Wifra appeared on the main screen.

"You rang?" she asked simply. The bridge of the _Sharktooth_ was hard at work behind her.

"Yeah, contact Gordon and prepare the invasionary force, I'm gonna go ahead and take my team in and try to land as stealthily as possible. Contact me when you can."

"Roger, over and out," she saluted to him and the screen blanked. He slumped in his chair and rubbed his temples. His head was throbbing like mad. He saw a flash of red hair and Ophelia was beside him.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine," he said with a yawn, as he straightened himself in his seat.

"I can take over for you while you get some rest in the Medical Wing. I'll wake you up when we land," she suggested.

Fayt quickly nodded and exited the bridge and slowly made his way to the Mediwing. _I can't take this, taking all these lives, and even more over Nel, Albel and Adray got really hurt today. Oh well I gotta keep pushing through, everyone is relying on me, and if I am positive they'll be positive. And this will all be over when we get Maria back. Yeah. _ He was content and entered the medical wing. There were two nurses in the room tending to the injured. Nel and Albel especially, because they had certainly gotten a beating.

He fixed himself in a bed, and was out like a log.

* * *

To Be Continued... R&R


	15. Chapter 14: The Beginning of the End

**A/N: Hey people, muchas gracias for that last review I have 7 now!!!!!!! Yeah pathetic but, what are u gonna do right? Ok so we're gettin close to the climax so here we go!!!!!**

Disclaimer: Any of my references to star wars or any other source are not mine, so im saying this now before I get sued :)

**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Beginning of the End**

The Nedian supply ship quietly landed in a secluded area, away from the capital city. No one had detected their descent because the ships in orbit had been bombarding the capital city and they were jamming their communications. They were after all the forward group, they were doing all the heavy lifting.

Ophelia left the bridge and left Kian in charge, she needed to see to Fayt and the others. When she walked in they were all fast asleep and there was a different shift of nurses tending to them.

"How are they?" she asked.

"Bad, they need rest, all of them. Even Captain Fayt sustained injury, he put too much strain on his nervous system during the fight. He isn't fit to go into battle right now, I'm sorry."

"No it is alright, it might be against his wishes but I prefer it that way." The nurse nodded and went over to the other side of the room to change Nel and Albel's IV. Ophelia examined them for a second. She was examining Fayt's features, his blue hair his skinny build. She laughed and shook her head. Her comm. began to beep. She excused herself from the room and told the nurse when to alert her when they could talk.

"Go ahead," she said as she spoke into it.

"Its Kian, Ophelia we have trouble, a scouting unit has been detected within our long range scanners, what course of action should we take?"

Ophelia was speechless, Fayt was always around to make these decisions. Heck even Albel or Nel took charge. "Meet me on the exit ramp, suit up, get your team. We're going night vision and silencers on, we don't want a stray laser bolt to give us away." Kian replied with a 'roger'.

She went into her room and threw on a suit of armor and grabbed her scoped battle rifle. She picked up her Tetragenian Katana as well. It was a normal curved blade but wasn't made of steel. It was an energy blade, almost like a laser weapon, but not as fragile. And the weapon was retractable.

She met Kian at the exit ramp, and it slowly retracted when they pushed the button. The area they had landed in was a heavily wooded area. There was very tall grass and huge trees, they landed there because the trees concealed the ship.

"Alright stay stealth unless I tell you to go weapons free. And be careful we don't know, they may have something to counteract our night vision shades." She told them to stay silent, only communication through hand symbols. So she pointed ahead and they moved forward.

She spotted the outline of a scouting tank. It had a single mounted cannon. She gestured to halt and examine the area. Strange, nothing. Suddenly she heard the rustling of leaves behind. "Shit," she whispered. "They are behind us, you are weapons free, go go!!" She instantly pulled out her katana and hit the activate button. The blade retracted with a loud hiss and she instantly whipped it around to catch one soldier in the stomach. He grunted and yelled out. "Go to heat vision they are using cloaking!!" she exclaimed.

The team instantly did it and were surprised when they found their enemies right in front of them. A few shouts were heard, and a few allied soldiers were down. Kian was pushed on the ground. He pulled out his old handy steel knife and stabbed the man on top of him in the neck.

Ophelia spun around and saw two men running for the vehicle. She put away her katana and took out her rifle and then took a deep breath. She steadied the gun and held her breath. She looked through the scope and lined up the first enemy. She pulled the trigger and the bolt flashed and struck the enemy. She immediately turned the end of the barrel onto the next enemy, aimed for his head…and pulled the trigger.

The man's body took a violent jerk and then it went limp. Ophelia exhaled and her body relaxed. Suddenly she heard a loud, "Yahhhh!!!!!!!!!" behind her. A soldier had shot at her and she immediately froze up. But as if by instinct she pulled out her katana and deflected the bolt. She caught him on his reload and dashed towards him and then chopped his head off.

She looked down on him mercilessly and panted hard. Kian killed this last soldier that tried to choke him and got up. "Man I haven't had to use my old man's knife in ages!!! Whoa, your work?" he asked as he looked at the man's dismembered body. Then he took a glance at the two soldiers dead by the tank. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "Well done." Ophelia still seemed to be in a bit of shock, she quickly shook it off.

"A-Alright guys check the tank and make sure they didn't get a message out. At least one good thing came out of this. We have a way into the city now." They moved toward the tank and clambered in and sent a message back to its command center: Engine Malfunction, be back tomorrow. Hopefully they would buy it.

* * *

"I gotta say this ship is really coming along, can you really have it done in 5 days?" Cliff asked. He had traveled down to the actual production area and was admiring the work. They had the overall structure of the _Diplo II _done and all the main rooms and facilities of the ship were done.

"Yes sir, we only have to finish the weapons and engine systems, basically. The calibration of the weapons won't take too long. The engines however, might. It is going to be hard to be able to manage such a large gravitic warp engine. We want to ensure that the engines won't just blow out," the engineer explained.

"Of course, of course. Well thanks pal, I look forward to its completion." Cliff shook the man's hand and began his way back to the observation deck. His communicator began to beep. He looked at the screen first, it was Mirage. "Hey what's up Mirage?"

"Conference room in 10." That was all she said and she signed off.

"Sheesh, she has to learn to chillax." He took the elevator lift to the conference rooms' level. He entered the usual room they had been using during their stay there. Cliff's dad, King Elmond, Mrs. Leingod and Mirage were seated around the white table. The room was small with a small plant in the corner. And then the entire right wall was made of square-paneled windows, showing the shipyard below.

"Cliff, good you are here, let us start," said Mirage as she cleared her throat.

"Ok so the Diplo II will be done in a few days on schedule and we should be in good shape for New Year's Eve," King Elmond said, as he read his engineers' report.

"Excellent, we have one problem though. We still need a Nedian transport to be able to breach the Nedian forces and get down to Earth. So the only choice is to hijack one. Captain Kirk will explain the situation," Mirage said. She gestured for Cliff's father to begin.

"Thank you Mirage, as she said we have to be able to hijack a Nedian cruiser, without them suspecting it later on. So we have to steal an unregistered shuttle, straight from their shipyards. We will be raiding one of their smaller construction yards on an isolated asteroid belt in the Beta Sector. It used to be a Federation shipyard until the recent takeover," he said.

"Dad how are we gonna do that?" Cliff asked.

"Ah, I was just getting to that. We are going to need two men to pilot a single fighter, through a cannon. You are going to take a light bomber with a small disabling hyperion cannon. And of course it has proton bombs and a light mounted hyperion gun. They must then pilot it to the hangar, it will be marked on your map, and then steal the cruiser. While you steal the craft the _Hawk_ will attack the base, accompanied by other battleships in our allied fleet. It should provide a sufficient distraction to divert attention from you guys."

"Exactly, Cliff I was hoping you and Lancar would undertake this mission. There is no one I can trust more right now, with Fayt and everyone else gone. Only Peppita is left, but she won't be able to help here," Mirage added.

"An almost impossible mission…I like the odds, when do I leave?" Cliff asked as he got out of his chair.

"In a couple of hours, just board the _Hawk _when you are ready. You know where it is," he said as he also got up.

"I'll just go with you, I am ready now, we can leave as soon as possible," he said confidently. "I'm getting bored standing around here." They both got up and got ready to leave the room. Cliff hugged Mirage before leaving and told her to take care.

* * *

"So we have to bypass an entire radar grid and then hijack a shuttle facing impossible odds?" Lancar asked. They were next to the starfighter they were going to use. He was loading his battle rifle and slung it over his shoulder. Cliff put on a heavier combat vest with a single-pump shotgun, instead of a rifle. He also had his gauntlets from the battle against Luther.

Cliff shrugged, "Pretty much bro, sorry I dragged you into it."

"Nah its cool, one I get to pilot this new Y-Wing craft fresh out of Expellian design!! Besides it should be fun," he said sarcastically. He got into the pilot seat while Cliff got into the gunner seat behind him. Lancar powered up its engines and then piloted the ship out of the _Hawk_'s hangar bay. They jetted off into space and traveled toward the asteroid belt in front of them.

The ship cruised along and they soon reached the belt and were surrounded by asteroids and Lancar had to agily dodge each rock.

"Alright lock on to the highest energy level you can find, it will probably the biggest asteroid too so keep a look out," Cliff said. They soon found the asteroid and saw the shipyard. "Alright we have to approach through that one canyon, it is the one area their long-range scanners do not cover. So there are individual short-range radar scanners instead, we should be able to disable them.

"Roger." Lancar piloted the Y-Wing into a sharp dive into the canyon. Cliff's stomach did a backflip, but it gave him a rush that he thoroughly enjoyed. Here was where the work began. The canyon was very dark so he changed his gunner to heat vision. The scanners up ahead burned like fireflies up ahead, versus the dark and cold void space.

"Alright, keep her low and steady Lancar," Cliff said as he charged the Hyperion Cannon and set it to 'disable'. Once it was charged he pulled the trigger and a blue blur of energy shot at the scanner. Once it hit it, the ship began to pulsate blue and the turbine on the top, stopped spinning.

"I count 8 on my scanners Cliff, so 7 more to go." So the two continued on the next 7 scanners and proceeded with their precise work. Lancar nearly blew it on the last one, he flew almost too high, but Cliff got the shot off in time.

"Phew that was close," Lancar said as he exhaled a sigh of relief. He piloted the ship upwards, as the canyon seemed to rise upwards. Up ahead they spotted two raised platforms, where numerous starfighters were stationed, and prepared to fly.

"Alright Dad, bring the fleet out of Gravitic Warp in about a minute, we are about to make contact and I hope we don't get killed," Cliff said as he opened a line with the _Hawk_.

"Roger," was the old captain's terse reply. Lancar pulled the trigger for the mounted Hyperion guns on the front and red laser bolts tore through the unsuspecting fighters on the platform. As the bomber flew over the platform, Cliff switched to the bombing reticule and dropped a few proton bombs on the platform, eradicating the threat.

Their cover was over because an alarm began to blare, signaling the base was under attack. A couple starfighters off the second platform lifted off and began to chase the rogue bomber.

"Damn, here is when the fun begins!!!" Lancar exclaimed as he pulled the ship into a barrel roll. The fighter giving chase suddenly got disoriented and crashed into another fighter.

"Alright cut the fancy crap and pilot us to that hangar," Cliff said.

"Fine, I'm locking on to the coordinates…" Lancar said disappointedly as he pulled out of the barrel roll.

* * *

"So this tank will get us through the city's outer wall?" Fayt asked. The group had recovered hours ago and they were consulting what the next course of action should be.

"Yes as far as the Nedians are concerned, their scouting party was delayed but are expected back soon," Ophelia.

"Good work Ophelia, alright guys be ready in 30, meet up by the tank outside the ship," Fayt said.

"Are you sure you guys are ready? I can just take Kian's group," Ophelia butted in, concerned.

"Yeah, we are fine, we just got banged up a little, but we are fine, right guys?" Fayt asked.

"Damn straight maggot," Albel replied. Nel simply nodded and Adray flexed his muscles in response.

"Besides, Kian has to coordinate with the invasionary force. Besides, no one else is as stealthy as Nel or Albel. And we're going to need that if we are going to open the main gates. And we will work better as a smaller unit. Alright so, see you guys in 30."

Everyone nodded and most of them proceeded to the area they had fashioned as a weapons room. Fayt picked himself a battle rifle, some ammo, and incendiaries. Adray somehow found a modernized minigun and he grabbed a strap for it and flung it around his shoulder. Albel looked at him, as if ready to murder him but he got his regular shotgun instead.

Nel only put on some reflective armor, and a few grenades and bombs. Ophelia took another assault rifle and replaced her scoped gun for a sniper rifle. It had a 12x scope. Fayt went up to the bridge to give Kian orders while the others proceeded to the tank.

In about 10 minutes they saw Fayt trotting down the ramp and gave them all a smile. They entered the armored vehicle from a hatch on the top. Ophelia turned the tank on and the screens all around them whirred to life and mechanical beeps sounded. Albel took a position on the gunner in case any difficulties should occur.

Ophelia set the tank to autopilot and the computer routed the course back to its base. Ophelia sat back in the pilot chair and looked at the others behind her. "Guys, thanks for everything, this is really important to me. I promise once we are done here, I'll do everything in my power to lend support to the alliance."

Fayt snorted, "Ophelia, relax, we want to do this, and even if it wasn't on the agenda, we would do it anyway. Just like Mirage said, its business," Fayt said and smiled. Ophelia nodded and turned around in her seat. In an hour or so the capital city came into sight.

"Wow, the city is gorgeous!!" Fayt exclaimed. The city seemed built into a crater, but rather a huge waterfall. Three rivers converged on the city and water poured past the edges of crater. It seems the world just ended and you would fall off but inside the crater was the city. The city wall was built around the crater. There was a water system which distributed the water around the wall which regulated the flow of water and created a moat around the city.

If one had a bird's eye view from above the city center would be seen in the center of the crater with water flowing into the crater from all sides. Numerous bridges protruded from the center and shields were placed on the bridges to allow the water to safely flow around it. Along the sides were houses built into the sides of the crater. The technological succession could be seen since the buildings from their middle ages had been preserved and one saw the complexity and structure change as the buildings extended from the exterior of the crater to the center. And then at the very center was a beautiful palace.

"Yes, the Nedians may have taken over. But at least they have had the decency to keep our culture and city's beauty in tact," Ophelia commented, scornfully. "Alright, helmets on." The ship had reached a bridge over the moat into the city wall. They traveled over the bridge and once it was inside the wall the tank stopped. They peered at the screen to look at the exterior of the tank. They seemed to be in the military garrison of the wall.

Other identical tanks were stationed there. Many Tetragenians could be spotted and were obviously disgruntled with the Nedian rule. There was a group in front of a Nedian officer barking commands at them.

The group carefully exited the tank and then waited for an officer to entertain them. A Tetragenian man approached them.

"Alright troop 721 you are late, cause of engine failure?" the man asked while he held a stylus to his data tablet.

Albel elbowed Fayt in the side to start talking. "Uh, erm…my friend here uhh trooper 634, sneaked a beer into the tank, got drunk, and started shooting the hell out of everything. He somehow hit a cylinder and we were stranded until I fixed it," Fayt made up and then elbowed Albel to start talking.

"Erm, he is right foo-I mean sir. I am a trigger happy bastard," Albel said shamefully. Nel and Adray began to snigger and he turned around to beat them but stopped himself.

"Well its alright 634, just don't do it again. Report to the main gate, you are scheduled to do guard duty until the next shift," the officer said.

"Yes sir, I won't do it again. Which way is the main gate again? I seemed to have forgotten in my drunken rage."

"Why don't you just ask-ughh, never mind. Take the elevator lift to the third level then go all they way to the right. You can't miss it. I'd have him checked first captain, if I were you," he said to Albel and Fayt. As he walked away, he made a hand gesture to Albel, calling him crazy.

"Yessir right away," Fayt replied happily. Adray and Nel had to restrain the Albel who was about to rip the man's head off. He muttered something like 'I'm not crazy' and folded his arms.

"Well this is working out perfectly for us," Ophelia said happily. The others just nodded and then went to work to find the main gate. They followed the man's instructions perfectly and soon found the main gate. They were to patrol the office and regulate who entered the city. The previous guard before them looked extremely tired. They probably had to cover the shift they had missed the night when they had their 'engine' malfunction. They groggily greeted them and exited the room happily.

"Albel lock the door," Fayt said. He set a suitcase he had been carrying and propped it open on the table in the room. It revealed a long-range communicator with their forces in orbit and in the forest.

"Kian, Wifra; do you copy?" he asked as he opened lines with the stolen Nedian cruiser and the _Sharktooth_.

"Copy," he heard from Kian and Wifra replied simultaneously.

"Begin your landing of troops and begin the advance we will have the main gate open, notify me when you are close," Fayt said. He closed the suitcase, not waiting for their reply. "Alright I guess all we can do is chill until then."

The group didn't hesitate and immediately began relaxing in the chairs. A couple hours later there was a gruff knocking on the door. "This is a Nedian commander, what is going on in there why is the door locked?" Silence. "Open the door or we'll blow it down 1…"

"Crap what do we do?" Nel asked.

"2!"

"Nel cling to the walls or do something ninja-ish. Albel get behind the door, sorry in advance if it hits you." Nel scowled at him as she climbed the wall.

"3! Alright we are coming in!!" Before they could blow the door down, Fayt opened the door, and smiled.

"Hi, come on in!!" He said graciously. He glanced up as three men walked into the room. Nel jumped down and slit a man's throat. Albel closed the door and locked it, he took out his katana and killed the other man, leaving the captain surrounded.

"Alright don't kill me!" he yelled. "A man is gonna call in a few seconds to make sure everything is alright, you'll need me to make sure everything is cool." The man was desperate and he was breathing hard. Right on cue the console began to beep. Fayt picked up the phone and told him to talk.

"Yeah, everything is alright here, I'm good, I think I'll just relax with these guys for now, yeah, over and out." Fayt put down the phone but Albel kept his shotgun trained on his head.

"Alright according to Wifra's last transmission they'll be here in 30," Fayt said, taking a look at the clock.

"Hang on, what are you guys talking about? Who are you guys, and could this have anything to do with the 5 battleships that landed a couple hours ago?" the Nedian officer said.

"I didn't say you could talk maggot," Albel said as he pumped his shotgun.

"Hold on are you guys rebels?" the man exclaimed. "Yeah that would make sense!!" He was about to scream out again until Fayt nodded and Albel clubbed the soldier in the back of his head with his shotgun. He fell limp to the floor with a stupid grin on his face.

"Finally, that maggot was beginning to annoy me," Albel muttered. The suitcase began to beep, yeah it seemed weird but it began to beep and Fayt opened it up.

"Yeah go ahead," Fayt said.

"Gunships and dropships are 5 minutes away," Kian said.

"Alright we are opening the gate…now," he said as he gestured for Ophelia to open the gate. Albel intently watched the door into the room.

"Alright the door is open, right the long-range sensors detect about 30 light cruisers approaching," Ophelia said. Fayt told her to stand back as he planted a bomb to the console.

"Alright let's move, we gotta find the shield generator fast and then take it down so we'll let the troops do their work, while we do the hard work." Fayt said. As they made their way to the elevator the wall was suddenly rocked by torpedoes fired by the approaching allied gunships.

"We better take the stairs," Nel suggested. Everyone agreed and they made their way down to the ground level or staging area. All the soldiers were disoriented and had no idea what to do. Ophelia had an idea.

"Wait guys stop! Don't you think if we just tell the Tetragenians that we are liberating them, then wouldn't they turn against the Nedians? It is obvious they aren't satisfied with their rule! And I do not want to kill any more of my countrymen!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, take off your helmet, we'll try it your way," he replied. They descended down the stairs and they encountered numerous soldiers with one Nedian commanding the group. The soldiers gasped when they saw her, they recognized her instantly.

"It's the princess!!" they exclaimed. The Nedian commander told them to shut up and start firing.

"Men! We are here to liberate you, if you do not want to get killed by our troops revolt against the Nedians, their time is up!" Ophelia yelled. It seemed it wouldn't work until the men turned their guns on the Nedian commander. It was quick work.

"We are yours to command madam," the soldiers said.

"Good, half of you tell the men on the walls to let our soldiers pass through the walls, and kill all the Nedian commanders. The rest of you lead us to the palace, alright understood? Let's go!" she ordered. Fayt smiled at her and they followed her into the inner city.

* * *

"What the hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cliff yelled as Lancar made the Y-Wing dive, climb, and pull into another barrel roll. They had about 10 fighters behind them shooting like hell. Their laser guns pulsating and then the sharp whining of the guns was heard. Amazingly they hadn't been destroyed yet.

At that moment 5 Klausian starfighters maneuvered behind the group chasing them and cleared their back.

"Thanks guys," Lancar said, as the Klausian fighters broke off to deal with other fighters. The hangar where the Nedian shuttles were made, was up ahead.

"Alright pilot her in nice and easy," Cliff said. As he brought the Y-Wing in, it hovered slightly at first and then the cockpit opened and Cliff jumped out of the fighter. He landed on a soldier and knocked his lights out. He took out his shotgun and made his way around the hangar. The hangar was like a huge twisting labyrinth with numerous cargo boxes, weapons, and spare items. A man on a mounted turret on an elevated position began to shoot at Lancar, but he took him out easily.

"Alright I see only 5 men ahead be careful Cliff," he said in his comm. link.

"Thanks man, I'll see you on the way out," Cliff replied. Cliff held his shotgun ready and then he turned the corner. He saw a man and instantly shot his gun, the blast catching the man instantly. He spun around and sensed another man, he knocked his lights out with a right-handed cross.

Cliff continued forward but hid behind a block of containers, there were 10 shuttles ahead, three men guarding them. It he took them head on, he was guaranteed to get killed. If he threw a bomb he risked losing one of them, and he couldn't risk anyone escaping.

He planted a time bomb on the walkway towards him and then showed himself to his enemies. Two men instantly ran toward him, he ducked to the side as the soldiers walked over his trap. Then he got on top of one of the containers and took a big leap and pulled an acrobat locust on the last man. He was out like a bulb.

Cliff picked the biggest shuttle, it was actually a combat shuttle, armed to the tooth. Its tail wing had a rocket launcher in the middle. Its wings on either side had retractable wings that folded upwards when it was parked. There were two large mounted laser cannons on the ends of either wing.

He entered from the ramp in the back and then ran into a man on board the ship. He yelled out but Cliff threw a punch at him. The soldier blocked then threw a kick at Cliff's stomach. He shrugged it off and grabbed the man's foot, lifted him on his shoulder and then he slammed him into the ground. The soldier was still kicking.

He pulled out a knife and stabbed Cliff in the arm. "Arghh!!!" he yelled. He got angry and began to wildly punch the man in the face. Cliff's strength was too great and soon made a bloody mess out of the soldier. The soldier fell staggered backwards and Cliff gave him a good kick in the side, to make sure he was dead.

"Damn, that was annoying," Cliff said as he closed the exit ramp and powered up the engines. He ripped some cloth off his vest and wrapped it tight around his cut. "Alright Lancar do you have me marked on your computer, I'm exiting the hangar now, let's head to the rendezvous point."

"Roger, I'll be right behind you, it looks like the _Hawk _has most of the enemy forces concentrated on them," Lancar said.

"Great, it should be smooth sailing from here. Holy crap I just counted 10 bogies on my radar. Damn we are still far from the rendezvous safe point, and we can't have anyone discover the stolen shuttle," Cliff said.

"It looks like we are going to have to fight them," Lancar aid grimly. Cliff agreed and set the ship to autopilot and set the computer to an automated evasion course as he headed to the gunner in the back of the ship.

"Alright Lancar cover my front, I'm in the gunner in the back," Cliff turned on the firing console and the warning klaxons began to beep, signifying enemies en-route. 5 ships whizzed into view. Cliff fired a few rounds at one that whizzed past but missed them all.

Instead he felt the shields get rocked. Lancar apologized over the comm. and quickly took down the fighter Cliff knicked one on the engine and it crash landed into the asteroid. The shuttle was rocked again by gunship fire and Lancar desperately tried to keep them contained, there was just too many.

"Damn, my left engine is acting up, and my stabilizer has been knocked out," Lancar cried.

"Hold on bro, we're almost near the rendezvous!" Cliff yelled as he released gunfire at a fighter and it blew up in a red fireball. His shields were rocked again when a fighter released its torpedoes on the shuttle.

Lancar was quick at work again until he stressed the engine too much and it blew and his ship crashed into the asteroid. "Lancar, no! Come in Lancar, answer me!!" Cliff yelled over the comm. No answer. Lancar was dead. Shots rocked the shuttle again. "NO Damn it my shields are down!!" He futily shot at fighters, but actually caught one.

A fighter came behind him but was suddenly engulfed in flames, from a shot from the asteroid. It came from the fighter. "You owe me one Cliff," Lancar said. Cliff glanced down and the cockpit was still intact.

"Lancar you're alright! Well pal looks like it is the end for both of us, we've been through so much and have escaped situations like this. But now…it looks like our luck has ended.

"I wouldn't count you two dead quite yet," a voice said over the comm. line.

"Dad?" Cliff asked. Sure enough Kirk Fittir flew in with 10 other fighters and dispatched the remaining starfighters. Cliff landed the shuttle and picked up Lancar.

They made their way back to the _Hawk_ thanking god, or rather Mr. Fittir for his timely save.

* * *

"Yes Kian, we've entered the inner city we are on the main bridge, on approach to the palace!" Fayt yelled into his comm. link as he took cover behind a broken statue on the bridge. He pulled out his rifle and fired a few well aimed rounds at the enemies ahead. "How is your position on the wall?" he asked as he took cover again.

"We have it secured there are just 1 group of Nedians that are causing problems, my men and I are en-route to the palace."

"Copy, I'll tell you if we make a breakthrough."

"Over and out." With that Fayt loaded a new magazine and then sprinted ahead to the barricade where their enemies were hiding. He pulled out his sword, and began to deflect the blasts. You could tell he was angry. He rampaged through the soldiers and tore through the ranks when he reached them.

"Bless his enraged and ravaged soul," Albel sneered. Nel clonked him on his head and they advanced forward and helped clean up the rest.

Once they were done they took a short break and looked ahead, the outer wall of the palace was visible. This main bridge was the only bridge from the central city to the main palace. "Alright we are sure to face a heavier Nedian presence within the palace, maybe we should wait for reinforcements," Fayt wondered.

"We might as well, we gotta wait for the tank to bust down the wall, hold on wait…the gate is opening," Ophelia said. She was right the big golden gates were opening and a huge garrison of troops came out, seeming battle ready. And at the end a tall man with blue armor was walking at the end. Two blades were attached to the wrists of his gauntlets, each attached by chains.

"Another Wise Man," Fayt whispered. This one wasn't huge in size but he was tall and probably possessed an impressive and slim physique. They looked ahead in caution. Their group stood ready.

"Captain, if they attack, take on the soldiers, leave the commander to us," Ophlia told the Tetragenian captain. Their group had grown considerably, picking up a lot of men along the way.

"Y-Yes m'am," he stammered. He gulped, he had right to fear the being that had taught the Tetragenians the meaning of fear. They neared them and then stopped. The soldiers in the middle parted, and moved to the side. Then a soldier was seen unrolling a red carpet, with the Wise Man walking on it.

Fayt eyed him mindfully and held his sword ready by his side. The man in blue armor stopped at the end of the carpet, which was about two sword lengths away.

"I know you," the man said, his voice was deep and intelligent. He wore half-moon spectacles and had blue eyes and shaggy brown hair. He had a young face, after all they were the _Wise_ men and not the _Old_ men. "Fayt Leingod, my master wants to see you. So if you would kindly surrender, this would make everything easier."

"Albel, kindly submit my answer to our esteemed friend here," Fayt said sweetly. Albel pulled out his shotgun and shot a soldier. The Nedian soldier fell to the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Wrong choice," he said and the scene around them erupted in chaos. The man disappeared and he appeared at the gates, and at that moment both sides began to fire at each other, without even bothering to try and find cover first. About 10 Nedian soldiers stepped forward with energy spears and reflective shields. They leapt at the group. Fayt was suddenly stuck fighting 2 of them. Nel and Albel each began to duel one and Ophelia and Adray were also targeted.

All around them soldiers were fighting each other, at point-blank range. Using their guns both as projectile weapons and melee weapons. The soldiers clubbed and shot each other with their rifles.

Meanwhile Fayt was stuck in heated combat with the two Nedian fighters. They seemed to actually have more fighting prowess, and weren't the average soldier. Fayt had to duck and parry both spears. "God Damn!" he swore as he had to parry a spear and then he ducked until his body was perpendicular with his knees.

From that position he jumped up and sliced one of the soldier's head's off. As he landed he faced the next soldier and began to slice, stab and chop at the man. The man was forced to step backwards until he knocked into another soldier and became disoriented. Fayt mercilessly killed both soldiers.

Nel had handily dispatched her enemy by feinting to the side and then she spun her leg around and cracked her enemies' neck with her studded boots. Albel had a harder time, because his enemies' spear tip could cut his blade like butter. So instead he dodged from side to side and used his flexibility to slide under his enemies' spear then he cut his head clean off.

Adray simply blew up his enemy from afar with a simple runological spell. Ophelia had a harder time and almost got herself killed. But in the end she got the soldier with a good stab to his stomach. Her arm got cut badly though. Fayt took her aside to a safe area.

"Look I don't think we should keep going, you're hurt really bad," he said.

"Look just have Adray cast a healing spell and you guys go on, I'll hold down the fort here and wait for Kian. Go!! Fayt…take down that bastard for me," she said. Adray cast the spell and she got up, lifted her katana and joined the fray once more. She cleared a way for Fayt and the others to sprint towards the gate, where the man stood. He smirked at them then he disappeared again and 10 more soldiers replaced him in his stead.

"Fayt keep going and take him down, we'll handle this. The faster we take him down, the faster we'll win," Nel said. He was about to protest but she silenced him. "GO!" she yelled. He disappeared past the gates to face him.

"Come here you maggots," Albel said as he struck the soldier hard.

Fayt ran from the outer palace wall, through the courtyard and into the main hall of the palace. He glanced around, the palace seemed empty. It seemed as if the whole garrison had left the palace and the royal family was probably locked in the dungeons. Fayt knew he had to free them, but not now. He glanced around first. The palace had a high ceiling painted with a bunch of historical pictures.

The ceiling told the story how their ancestors had first built into the crater-city. He looked around for the Wise Man. From the Main Hall, he could go three ways. He could cross into the West or East Hall or go into the Royal Antechamber which was the path in front of him. Except, he didn't have the time to make the call when something collided into him, hard. He was thrown against the wall and he crashed into the trophy case. He heard the brandishing of a blade.

"I don't think so!!" Fayt exclaimed. He pulled out Destroyer and slashed out at his attacker. He learned it was the Wise Man. He had pulled the blades off his gauntlets and was wielding them.

"My name is Shigeo, pleased to meet you," he said as he bowed.

"I'm gonna make you pay for enslaving these people. Then I am going to kill your master!" he yelled at him savagely.

"Wow so brave, come let us talk first. I assume it was you who destroyed my fleet in orbit through your rage and anger. Now look at yourself, you've killed endless numbers of soldiers for _your_ own conquest. To save your beloved am I right? Now, how does that make you any different from us? In our soldiers' eyes they see you as your soldiers see us."

"It…isn't the same!" he yelled in response.

"But isn't it?"

Fayt considered it but smiled, "You're wrong. You took what wasn't yours to claim in the first place. Look around you, outside. The people want to be liberated. We aren't mercilessly killing, well maybe Albel is. But my point is we are just reclaiming what was rightfully ours. You have no right to abused these people!" Fayt looked on at him and sneered.

"Fine, die you fool!!" he yelled. Man! Was he fast, he couldn't even see him move! At one second Shigeo was in front of him, striking him, then next thing he knew Shigeo was behind him and slashed Fayt's exposed back.

"Arghh!!" he screamed out. He stepped back and looked around him, he was gone again. _No wonder he surprised me the first time, he is too fast! _Fayt steadied his breathing and focused just to hear the slightest change in his environment. _There he is! To the left! _ Fayt spun around and raised his sword to block the blow, and then he countered immediately and slashed at his head. Shigeo, using his inhuman agility, was able to dodge the blow easily.

He disappeared again and Fayt waited for him to patiently strike again. Same thing happened. He was gone once more. _Grr, I might have to blast him…I can't get a strike on him. All I am doing is countering. Alright here goes…_ Fayt began to charge up his sword with energy. He sensed him coming again, this time he rose his sword above his head. When Shigeo appeared he brought down his sword with all his might on the omnigod. It sent him crashing into the ground.

Shigeo's body began to fizzle with blue energy. "Now we can fight on even grounds." Shigeo sneered at him and rose his blades. He swung his blades attached to his wrists at Fayt.

"Still even?" he laughed as he swung the two blades at Fayt, causing him to parry each one. They were like two tentacles keeping him down. Fayt parried one of the blades and then cut one of the chains. But Shigeo used the opportunity and he stabbed Fayt on his calf. He staggered and almost hit the ground, but he used all his strength to stay up.

He retracted one of his last blade and held it. "Well, your spirit must be applauded, but you will not win. You'll make a nice trophy for my master!!" he yelled. He was about to stab Fayt but someone stopped him.

"Stop right there you maggot, its over! All your worms are defeated and we have you surrounded," Albel yelled. It was true, all the soldiers and everyone was in the doorway.

"Wait stop! This is my fight guys! I need to be able to beat him, if I can't beat him, then we are doomed to fail against their leader. So..ack…I must face him," he said as he struggled to get up. He assumed his stance, his leg paining him the whole time. This time something felt different. He had his blows and Shigeo had his. They were both hurt. But he felt he had the edge for some reason.

Shigeo disappeared once more, but this time he anticipated where he would appear. Shigeo appeared and slashed at Fayt, but he moved first. He parried upward with his sword and then grabbed his rifle and put a few rounds in him. Shigeo jumped backwards and began to pant hard.

This time, Fayt attacked first. He sprinted towards him with insane speed, faster than Shigeo had ran. Then he stabbed straight through him. "Your master is next," Fayt whispered as he plunged his sword deeper. He let Shigeo fall to the ground and lay unconscious.

Albel and the others approached Fayt slowly. Fayt looked up to the ceiling and then he fell backwards. He looked at the mural on the ceiling. He seemed transfixed on the scene depicting them breaking through the rocky dome, revealing a hollow underground cavern. Thus, the crater was formed and the water from the surrounding rivers poured into it. It was a picture of beauty. His vision blurred and Fayt almost fell backward, but Adray caught him.

"Easy boy, you've done good. You've done good," he said as he patted the unconscious Fayt on his shoulder. Fayt was out like a log, the good news was that the Nedian presence was officially exterminated. He lifted him and carried the unconscious boy over his shoulder.

"That maggot is strong," Albel said as he looked at Shigeo's lifeless body. He pulled Destroyer out of Shigeo's stomach. The instant he touched the blade, the blue color slowly faded away.

"I guess it doesn't like you," Nel teased. Albel playfully hit her. Ophelia was soon seen limping through the main doorway, accompanied by other Tetragenian soldiers. She smiled as she walked through, she was home.

"Guys, come with me, I want you to with me!" she said excitedly. She grabbed Albel and Nel and skipped along giddily…to the dungeon.

"Why are you taking me to the dungeon, woman!" Albel yelled as he struggled to break free from her grip. But she wouldn't be deterred. Adray followed after them, with unconscious Fayt the whole time. They clambered down the dark spiral staircase leading downwards. The dungeon, was a dungeon. It was dark, damp, and lit solely by a few burning torches here and there.

They began to pass numerous barred cages and then they passed a cell full of people that looked totally out of place. There was a man and a woman that had bright red hair…kind of like Ophelia's.

"Daddy!!" she yelled. She gripped the bars and tried to awake the sleeping man. He woke up and looked around.

"Wuzzgoinon?" he asked stupidly. This man must have been the king of Tetragenesis, Ophelia's father.

"Ophelia?" he asked hoarsely. "Ophelia it is you!!!" he said as he gripped the bars too as he tried to hug her.

"Guards, Guards!! Open these doors I command you to!!" Ophelia yelled. Before the guards could respond, Albel told them to stand back as he cut the bars in a perfect rectangle, to allow then to get through. Ophelia threw herself on her father, and her mother soon awoke. Nel looked on and thought it was sweet, a family reunited. Albel thought he was about to puke. Adray thought of Clair back on Elicoor. For how long the family weeped, who knows, they seemed to cry and hug forever. Time seemed endless in the dreary dungeon.

* * *

"So you are saying one of my shipyards have just been destroyed because of a recent raid?" Indalecio asked. A poor messenger had the unfortunate duty to tell his master about the recent raid by the _Hawk. _Surprisingly, he didn't go crazy. "And what about the situation on Tetragenesis?"

"Well sir, Lord Shigeo informed me that they had easily put down any rebellions and had seized control of the planet. That was 2 days ago, there haven't been any transmissions since then. Do you want me to reply to him?"

"No, he should be fine, I trust his skills. Besides our enemies seem to be hiding at the moment. No, as long as Earth isn't attacked, I do not really care. Just tell fleets in the Gamma and Delta sector to return." The man nodded and left Indalecio's room.

"Hold on wait, any news from Jyril?" he asked.

"Sources say the Expellians took him down, we can't confirm his death though. And furthermore, I don't know if we can say our enemies helped kill him. Sorry sir, out intel is spread out across the galaxy and our resources are limited at the time."

"Its..alright, you can leave now. Can you tell King Nede to contact me, I would very much like to talk to him," Indalecio said calmly. He slumped further in his chair that he had christened as his 'throne'. It was just an extremely comfortable Lazy-Boy. "Nicolus, Vesper!" he yelled.

They both awoke and spazzed on the sofa they were sleeping on. "What do you want boss?"

"I want you two present to witness the overthrowing of King Nede," he said as he pressed a button that lowered a huge flatscreen from the ceiling. The screen immediately flashed to life and King Nede was seen playing golf somewhere. His guards stood on either side of him, with stoic expressions. Waiting anxiously to carry out their orders.

"You wanted to talk to me Indalecio?" he asked as he hit a ball. He didn't turn around to look at him. Indalcio looked at the guards and nodded. They called more guards, and then 20 more soldiers appeared in view.

"I just wanted to see how your vacation was going sir. Having fun in Italy?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am," he said as he hit another ball. He was still oblivious to the men gathering around him.

"I'm sorry to inform you that I am relieving you of your post sir, I want the title of king, and I'm sure my men trust me more than they do you."

Nede suddenly dropped his club as the guards grabbed him. "What is the meaning of this, unhand me!" he yelled. King Nede had no weapons on at all and was at their mercy. "Indalecio? How long have you been plotting against me?"

"For quite a while now actually. Men take him away, lock him up and ship him to the Prison Cube, I'd like to chat with him face to face in a couple day's time."

"Yes my lord," a soldier said as he bowed and signed off. The last image they saw was King Nede struggling and strangling a soldier. At last someone clubbed him in the back of his head, with the butt of his rifle.

The three began to laugh. "Congratulations Indalecio! You are now king!!" Vesper said as he embraced his lord.

"Thank you brother," he said. "I think to celebrate, we should be reunited with our last brother, Nicolus, fetch the two brats from their cages." Nicolus walked over to the cage and lowered the energy bars.

Vesper looked shrewdly at his lord. "Sir, why do you still need the Fayt boy? I thought the reason was because you needed them all three to revive everyone…but you are able to revive them with those two only."

"Ahh my good Vesper, I need the boy's destruction gene, it opens the possibility of cloning myself. Have you met my altar ego Lucifer? He is quite the devil," Indalecio said and laughed.

Vesper looked shocked, actually scared, "L-L-Lucifer?" He looked scared to death. Indalecio laughed and looked on as Maria and Sophia were chained up to the machine again. Both were exhausted beyond measure and didn't even scream anymore when the machine did its work. The energy ran through their bodies, and afterwards the chamber was smoking again. A figure was seen in the smoke again, just as always, after every draining.

* * *

To Be Continued......R&R


	16. Chapter 15: Konohagakure! Land of Fire

**A/N: Alright its almost time for the final showdown, but we're gonna drop in on some ninjas from a certain Manga called....NARUTO!!! **

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean or Naruto

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Chapter 15: Konohagakure, the Land of Fire**

Dec. 27th, 12:00 hours Earth time. _Diplo II, Shruiken IV _Subspace_._

Fayt looked on, from one of the starboard viewing decks, at the green planet below them. The entire planet of Shruiken IV was a planet slightly underdeveloped planet that they had liberated a couple days earlier. It had a climate identical to Earth's, there was one huge continent inhabited by 5 great nations and there were smaller countries, in addition to the 5 major powers. The planet had actually been able to hold their own, and held the Nedians to a stalemate. There were some extremely strong warriors there.

The entire Allied Fleet had amassed in the Shruiken Star System. A Fleet of 100,000 starships strong was assembled. It consisted of the Expellian, Tetragenian, Klausian, Vendeen, and Aldian fleets. Fayt looked on at the peaceful planet and then watched as a cold, metallic battle ship drifted past them. He had been thinking lately…what if they failed?

_What if I'm not strong enough to win against them? I'm fighting an army here…and can I keep going on like this? How many live have I taken? How many families have I broken? And it isn't really the soldiers' faults. They are just listening to the damn orders of their superiors. _

_Man now that I look back on this entire journey, I haven't had a second to take a break. I mean, it has already nearly been a year since my life has had to change. But I guess, it was my fate to experience all of this. In one year…I've saved the world, killed another person, dealt with countless deaths…and I've fallen in love. _

_Maria…we've been apart too long. It's really starting to hurt me. I'm just really happy around her…but now she's gone. So I have to be strong and win her back!! I'm gonna make them all pay…these people have had no right to trespass on our universe. _

He sat there looking at Shruiken IV, they were about to venture down to the planet to see how the people were faring and recovering. They had been down there previously, when they fought the few ground forces on the planet. He heard someone walking toward him and spun around on his heel. He saw Cliff walking towards him.

"You ready to go kid?" Cliff asked.

"Yeah, hey why are we going down again?"

"Oh no big deal, we're just gonna check up on the locals, explain to them that the world is not ending and crap like that."

"Oh all right then." The two walked off to meet the guys at the hangar.

"But Fayt, can you believe the size of that blond women's-," Fayt interrupted by giving him a good clonk on the head.

"Cliff shut up!!! She was like the head of their village or something, we can't go talking like that about our allies!!!!" Cliff laughed mischievously and they continued on.

* * *

"Again," a tall man said. This man had long white hair, and had an old, hard face. He wore a white and red robe and had red painted streaks underneath his eyes. He gestured for an adolescent to continue his work and do it again. The blond boy nodded, his blue eyes burning with determination.

"Right….Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!!" the youth yelled. He made a hand sign by placing his two fingers in a cross. There was a loud popping noise and immense amount of smoke. Once it cleared, a clone, an exact replica of the boy appeared next to him. "Now….Rasengan!!!" he yelled. The doppelganger began to scratch the air around the real boy's palm. Soon enough, a swirling ball of condensed blue energy appeared in his palm.

"Hiya!!" he yelled. His clone popped and charged forward at a huge slab of rock.

"Remember this exercise is for control, rather than sheer force, Naruto!!!" the old man yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a master at this ero-sennin!!!!!" he charged at the rock and slammed his ball of energy into the rock. At first it seemed like he would break down the whole wall. _Now manipulate the release of chakra!!. _"HAA!!!!" he yelled as his hand plowed through the thick rock. He quickly pulled his hand back and dusted the rock dust off himself and smiled triumphantly. The dust began to clear and it revealed a perfectly round circle in the wall.

"Well done kid, you're really coming along," the old man said.

"Thanks Jiraiya sensei, huh?" he said suddenly.

"What?" he asked but turned around to see what Naruto was pointing out.

"What is that?" Jiraiya asked. There was a metallic shuttle in the distance, the engines hummed and the blue light from them could be seen.

"Is it Akatsuki?" Naruto yelled. "Hey, its near Konoha too, you think it has anything to do with the recent invaders?"

"I-I dunno, but let's not worry about it now, I have a good feeling about it. Now! Let me see that technique again or I'll make you train with Mr. Gamariki!!!!!"

"N-NO!!! Not that damn frog, alright, alright, Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!!!!" he yelled. Trees around the clearing they were in rustled as the wind rocked their branches.

* * *

"Alright so we are in the Land of Fire?" Fayt asked.

"Yep, there are four more lands, protected by their hidden villages. The land of fire is protected by the Leaf Village Shinobi, of Konoha."

"Ahh so the warriors of the land are shinobi?" Nel asked with deep interest.

"Yes, but their style of fighting is different. They combine hand signs with chakra, or spiritual energy from within their bodies."

"Ahh, yes I am familiar with that style. It is a more all-emcompassing art of taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu. My techniques are taijutsu, enhanced with chakra from my body. Amazing, I'd love to see them in action, and maybe learn a few things," Nel said.

"Remember Nel we only have a few days before the invasion, so we can't linger too long. But the warriors are strong, they had techniques, strong enough to block bombardments from space. And then when it came to hand to hand fighting, their lack of technology wasn't an obstacle."

"Well you gotta consider you fool, chakra is an amazing source of energy. Anyone who learns how to be able to draw it out at will gains an amazing arsenal of techniques. I mean we use a few techniques that use chakra. My claw of destruction uses it. And Nel's flying guillotine uses it too. And then your Ethereal Blast is raw chakra, at its best," Albel snorted.

"Well Mr. Expert on Chakra, I'm sorry!!!" Fayt yelled.

"Well I did some training with chakra, just a little though."

"Alright I'm gonna land us right outside the village," Cliff said. The ship landed in a clearing among the trees, a good distance away from the village. They got off the ship and observed their surroundings.

"Let's see, the atmosphere feels exactly like Earth's," Fayt said. The air around them was a little humid, and there were trees around them, as far as they eye could see. They navigated themselves onto the main road and walked on it for an hour or two, until they saw the outline of the village's wall. The huge gates stood open, it was the village hidden in the leaves, known as Konoha.

As they neared the gates, they heard a rustling in the trees and quickly drew their weapons. _An ambush? _Fayt thought as he pulled out his sword.

"Its no use, we have you surrounded," said a voice. They looked in front of them and saw two masked figures, one with white spiky hair, a male. Then there was a female with long purple hair, the one who had spoken. They seemed to be wearing animal masks, and had light armor on. Metal plates covered their arms and hands and metal shinguards protected their legs.

"Surrounded? As if you fool!!!!" Albel yelled!!!!!!! They clearly weren't surrounded. Then a second later, the two figures made identical hand seals, a cross with their figures.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!!!" they yelled in unison. And a second later, they were surrounded by 10 figures. 5 copies of the female, 5 copies of the male, they were surrounded.

"Ah a ninjutsu," Nel whispered.

"Hold on senpai, wasn't Hokage-sama expecting them?" the female asked.

"Yes, but we can't be sure if they are the real ones, give me a second, let me open my _eye…SHARINGAN!!!"_ the male answered.

"Ahhh a doujutsu (eye technique)," said Nel. "They're shinobi skills are on a whole different level than mine." Fayt was surprised; even Nel was impressed with their techniques. They must be good.

"So Senpai?" the female asked. She looked ready to pounce at any moment. She had her hand on her sword and was poised to strike.

"My Sharingan eyes don't detect a genjutsu or ninjutsu here, they are the ones," the male said, as he took off his mask.

"Kakashi!!!" Cliff yelled. The man called Kakashi smiled and waved at him. He wore a mask over his face, concealing his mouth but not his eyes.

"Ahh Cliff, you remember me, sorry for the mix up. Release!!" he said, as he formed a seal with his hands. He placed them together, with the forefinger and index finger pointing upwards. The clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The woman followed suit and her clones disappeared too.

"Cliff, ya know him?" Fayt asked.

"Yeah, I met him when I first came down to greet their leader, called the 'Hokage'." Cliff replied.

"Sorry about the mix-up, you just can't help but be careful, I mean with recent events and our country still has its own problems to deal with," Kakashi replied.

"Nah its cool, we understand, so who is your companion?" Cliff asked.

"Well she is a current ANBU member, a part of our secret black ops corps, so I can't tell you her real name. And she can't take her mask off either, her code name is Raikiri. Which is actually ironic…since that translates into Lightning Edge, the name of my one technique."

"Oh, well nice to meet you 'Raikiri'," said Cliff. Fayt and the others nodded at her and introduced themselves to Kakashi.

"Well, I don't want to waste anymore time babbling, if you would follow us, we'll bring you to Hokage-sama." Kakashi had a very soft and calm tone. He seemd like a very laid-back person.

"Lead the way my man," Cliff replied. Kakashi took the lead, and Raikiri took the rear and followed behind everyone.

* * *

A blonde haired woman, that looked quite young, sat in a chair with her forehead laying on top of a tall stack of papers. The ink was beginning to stick to her forehead, probably since she had her head on the stack for so long. There was a loud poof of smoke and she instantly woke up.

It was a frog, a red one with blue streaks on its skin. "Yo, old lady!!!!"

"GAMAKICHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not old!!!" the lady yelled as she threw a kunai knife at the frog.

"Where the hell did you get that knife??" it yelled at her, as he dodged out of the knife's path. The frog was medium sized, about twice as thick as a human being and just as tall.

"Ahh Gamakichi, you're getting bigger, how are Naruto and Jiraiya doing? How is Naruto's training going?" the blonde lady asked.

"Well thank you m'am, Jiraiya and the kid are doing well. The kid has come along pretty well, how long has it been since they left? About a year? Anyways Jiraiya just wanted to make sure everything was good here. They saw an otherworldly ship and they thought it was Akatsuki."

"Oh tell him they shouldn't worry. We did have recent invaders but the ship they saw was our allies'. Oh! So that means I should be expecting them soon. So yeah, just tell Jiraiya I'm doing well, and greet those two knuckleheads for me," she said.

"Will do, oh and one more thing. Jiraiya asks…hehe. Well he said last time he measured them…they were 162 cm. And he wants to know…are they still the same size, Tsunade?" the frog asked with a sly grin.

"AHHHH!!!!!!!! Jiraiya!!! I'm gonna kill him!!! You tell him….to go screw himself!!!" she yelled as she opened the window and threw the frog out.

"Ahhh!!! Don't kill the messenger!!!" the frog cried as he disappeared on the horizon. At that moment someone knocked at her door.

"Can we come in?" a voice asked, Tsunade knew the quiet and cool voice well.

"Yes, come right in Kakashi," she said. She straightened herself in her seat, wiped the drool from her mouth, and quickly rubbed the ink off her forehead. As the leader of Konoha, she had to look somewhat professional for her otherworldly guests.

_Heh, who would have known there were other planets out there, anyways, here goes._ Her door slowly shifted open and creaked loudly as it did.

"Kakashi, you have our guests?" Tsunade asked in a dignified tone.

"Yes Hokage-sama, I'll let them introduce themselves to you," Kakashi replied, he stepped out of the way.

"I'm Fayt Leingod."

"Nel Zelpher."

"Albel Nox."

Cliff stepped up and started showing off his muscles. "I am the amazingly charming Cliff Fittir, nice to meet you m'am." He smiled at her, but his eyes didn't seem to meet hers.

"Mr. Fittir, as colleagues, I think it is more professional, if you keep your perverted eyes off my boobs!!!" she yelled. She gave Cliff a good uppercut and sent him flying through the roof.

"OWWW!!!!!!!!" he yelled. Everyone peered through the hole but couldn't see Cliff.

_Damn, I haven't seen anyone beat Cliff that easily before. Man she is strong!!! I'll remember to not get on her bad side. _"Sorry about that, Cliff is just-," he got cut off as Tsunade turned on him.

"What you too? Why is this world filled with a bunch of pig-headed men!!!" she was about to punch him too. But Nel got in the way and stopped Tsunade.

"Hehe, sorry about that, I wouldn't worry about Fayt, he isn't a perv unlike Cliff," Nel replied. She smiled at Tsunade and she seemed to calm down. _What strength! I had to gather my chakra in my palms to block the blow. And that required a decent amount of chakra._

_I see, she is a shinobi as well. Good manipulation of chakra. _Kakashi thought as he looked on with his Sharingan.

"Haha, sorry about that!! Anyways where were we?" Tsunade said, ashamed. "Oh yeah. I am Hokage of the village. I am its leader and my job is to govern and protect its people. You must understand we musn't tell our citizens that there are other worlds out there…not yet. And in our current situation, it just isn't possible."

"We understand fully m'am. We just want to clear things up and make sure the planet's leadership wasn't going crazy. That is all, and we aren't asking you to adapt to our technology. We encourage that you continue to develop on your own," Fayt responded.

"Hmm, well said, I wouldn't expect one with your age to speak with such dignity and experience. You could teach a certain 15 year old I know, a few things. Isn't that right Kakashi?" she asked.

"Haha, definitely," he responded.

"Th-Thank you Hokage-sama," Fayt responded.

"With that said…" she said as she retrieved a black book from her desk. "Kakashi I am going to have you lead an ANBU team on this S Rank mission. I know you aren't technically ANBU any more but…you are still a member…technically."

"Of course…but what does this have to do with the offworlders Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked as he looked at Raikiri tentatively.

"You will accompany them, we are in debt to them after they helped save the village. Heck, the planet. You will take agents Raikiri and Yamato."

"Oh, Tenzou huh? Well I guess I could use a little adventure. And seeing as Naruto won't be back for another year or so…I have some time on my hands," Kakashi said very cooly.

"Its settled then, you will accompany Fayt and his friends, along with the assigned ANBU members."

Fayt remained silent but felt like he had to cut in, "Hold on a second. You have no idea of the danger we're facing!!"

Tsunade smirked at him. "You think they'll be a hindrance to your mission?"

"I-I didn't say that!!!" Fayt replied.

"Actually I think they will," Nel said. _Hmm, finally a chance to see their techniques._

_Nel? She's never talked out of turn before, this is so unlike her. I would expect something from Albel, but he has been quiet the whole time. _

"Well then, I say you fight them, to get a good idea of their skills," Tsunade said.

"That's the best idea you've said all day fool," Albel said, breaking his silence. "I've been getting bored from all this talk!"

Tsunade grinned, "What do you say Kakashi?"

"I'm game, I"ll, wait your friend is dropping in in 5…4…3…2…" On cue, Cliff came crashing through the hole in the ceiling and began to writhe on the ground. He was completely unconscious. "As I was saying, I'll get Ten-I mean Yamato and meet you guys at training ground three!" In a pop of smoke Kakashi and Raikiri disappeared

"Wh-Wha? I guess we gotta fight them now, good job guys!! Damn, what are we gonna do with Cliff?" Fayt fumed.

"Don't worry about him, I'll tend to his wounds. I'm a medical specialist, just get ready for your fight. Come to me when you are ready and I'll show you to your battle area."

Fayt nodded and they went off, leaving Cliff in her hands.

* * *

"Ready?" Kakashi asked. There they were, six of them in Training Ground three. They were surrounded by trees and there was a large clearing in the center of the mini-jungle. Tsunade looked on, she was concealed in one of the trees. A heavily bandaged Cliff, stood next to her.

"Whenever you are," Fayt replied. A new ninja had joined Kakashi's group. He also wore a mask, but had the same armor and sword as the other two

"Alright stand back, I'm gonna go berserk on these fools!!" Albel yelled. He charged forward with his sword raised. The new figure, Yamato, moved first. He clasped his palms together, forming a hand seal.

"Wood Style, Wood Prison!!!" he yelled and as Albel dashed toward him wooden bars sprang up around him, threatening to imprison him. Albel looked worried

"Shit…"

"I got your back Albel. Fire Style, Fire Ball!!" Nel released a small ball of fire at the wood. The one called Yamato smiled again.

"Water Style, Water Pistol!" He yelled. He conjured water from nowhere and a strong burst of water put out the fire. This allowed the wooden bars to enclose Albel in a wooden prison.

_Wow...the chakra required to conjure water from nowhere...would be immense. Fire is easy...all you need is air. Earth is easy since it is all around you. _Nel thought as she looked on in admiration.

"Let me out damn it!!!" Albel yelled as he slashed around, rampaging, but to no avail.

"You were too hasty Albel, you should have waited for me and Nel to back you up," Fayt said. _Hmm, their techniques are interesting…I'd love to learn sometime. _He sprinted forward and caught Yamato off guard. In an explosive motion Fayt brandished his sword and moved to catch him in a deadlock. But Ya,ato quickly pulled out his sword and blocked.

_What speed! His speed surpassed Gai's…_Kakashi thought. This broke Yamato's concentration and the wood prison collapsed.

"HELL YEAHH!!!" Albel yelled. He jumped up and slashed at Kakashi. But Raikiri cut out his move. "Woah, I didn't even see that maggot move!" He yelled as he had to dodge again. She wielded her blade with such confidence and strength, Albel was being pushed.

Albel grabbed her sword with his claw and brought his to her neck. "Checkmate, fool."

"I don't think so," Raikiri said. The clone popped and a log was left in place. As he looked behind him, 4 copies of her were charging at him from all sides. The one coming from the front popped right as it was about to slash. He rose his sword to block it but looked around again to see where she could be attacking from.

"Damn, that's a fake…he blocked the one from behind and it popped, the ones on his right and left popped when he blocked their blades. "That means…above!!!" he yelled.

"Earth Style, Mud Bombs!!" she opened her mouth and began to spit huge globs of mud at him. He dodged the first two rounds then he slashed through the last round. He jumped off the ground and threw himself at Raikiri. She seemed dumbstruck, but in a quick flash Kakashi appeared and gave Albel a painful sidekick in his stomach. Kakashi's forehead protector was raised above his eye which revealed a red eye with three spokes around the pupil. There was also a scar above his eye. They had not particularly paid attention to it earlier.

"Thank you senpai," Raikiri said quickly as she breathed heavily. Yamato retreated back to them and they formed a triangle facing the unorganized group. Fayt looked at Kakashi.

_Hmm, he is quite surprising, and that eye of his…what could it do? _"Nel, tell me should we be worried about his eye?"

"Well, yes. His eye is a type of doujutsu, or eye technique, it lets him see things, that aren't perceivable by the regular eye. I have heard of doujutsus that predict movements and give its users powerful techniques."

"So should I be careful approaching him?"

"Well, that is a given. But he wouldn't use his techniques unless it was a real battle situation. So we shouldn't be too afraid, but nevertheless, we must be cautious."

Fayt nodded and assessed the situation. _Let's see our enemy obviously has the advantage in combat experience. They've been trained to cooperate together and work as a unit. And above all, they've been trained for multiple combat situations. So the only way to get a jump on them is to show them a technique they've never seen before…Or a technique even I didn't know that I had…Ok we are approximately 30 yards apart. We are within their range of projectiles. But Nel has her flying guillotine move._

_The problem is she is the only long-range fighter we have. While Albel and I are close range fighters…but the enemy is adept at both. Okay…I'll use Albel and Nel as my decoys._

"Guys, you two will go in first, focus on Kakashi and the other guy. I am going to take out Rai, because she seemed to exhaust a lot of energy from her last technique. Ready? Go!" Albel and Nel pranced forward; Kakashi and Yamato stepped in front of Raikiri to let her recover. Yamato made a hand seal.

"Earth Style! Rising Wall!" Yamato made a tall wall rise up, between them and Albel and Nel. It curved around to protect them on the sides. Then, he formed another seal. "Water Style! Gushing Waterfall!!" and then water fell from the top of the wall. It caused Nel and Albel to stop. Then, their feet were submerged in water.

"Well done Yamato," Kakashi said. He made three seals and then slammed his hand onto the waterfall. "Collaboration Jutsu, Raikiri pulse!" He sent his lightning blade technique through the water and it hit Nel and Albel.

"Shitt," Albel said as he looked at the water. The two were fried to a crisp.

"Alright two down…where is the other one?" Kakashi said as he looked around. He looked up and saw Fayt, charging his energy. "Crap it was a diversion!" he yelled. He was about to move to cut him out, but was too slow. In a blue whir, Fayt disappeared.

"Hehe, too slow!!" Fayt yelled. He landed in front of Raikiri, and gave her a good side kick in the stomach. Fayt disappeared again and appeared in front of Yamato. He slammed the hilt of his sword into his stomach.

"Damn!!" Yamato said as he fell to the ground. Then, Fayt faced Kakashi. Albel and Nel shortly joined him, although they were badly hurt they could still stand. Kakashi made three shadow clones and looked at the group seriously. Albel moved first and charged the 'copy ninja'.

Kakashi's eyes saw him move before he actually moved. His clone moved first and put Albel in an arm lock. Then his other clone slid around Albel with a kunai knife. "Secret technique!!! 1000 Years of Death!!!" he yelled as he stabbed Albel in the ass.

"Arghhh damn you worm!!!" he yelled vainly as he fell to the ground. Nel charged next and actually had a hard time dealing with the two clones that kept her at bay. Nel jumped up and then slashed with her blade, "Mirror Slice!" she yelled. She brought her knives down on the two clones and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Nel looked around and couldn't see him. "I can't see him either Nel!" Fayt yelled as his eyes darted all over the place. Suddenly the earth under her shook and she felt a hand grab her leg. Kakashi dug underground! He burst from the ground and gave her a fierce uppercut, knocking her eye in the air, and then Kakashi disappeared. He reappeared beneath her then grabbed her and then faced towards the ground. _Sorry Gai, I'm going to have to use your technique. _"Primary Lotus!!" They both crashed into the ground, with the entire weight of gravity behind them.

When the smoke cleared, an unconscious Nel was found on a cushion. "I summoned a cushion so that your friend wouldn't get too hurt." Kakashi said as he smiled at Fayt.

"Damn it…this guy…he is tough." Fayt jumped forward and released a flurry of strikes with his sword, Kakashi blocked, ducked and parried each strike perfectly. Fayt jumped up, "Air Raid!!" he yelled. The blast actually caught him off guard and raised both his hands to block. Fayt smiled as his feet touched the ground. "Dimension Door!" He disappeared and reappeared behind Kakashi and he brought his sword to his neck. "Ha!"

"Sorry," Kakashi said as his body popped and was replaced with a log. Just as Fayt saw the log, as the smoke cleared, his face was suddenly thrusted into the ground. Kakashi had used a replacement jutsu and had appeared in the air behind him and kicked his head.

"Ack!!" he yelled as he spit some dirt out of his mouth. He suddenly felt Kakashi sit on him, as he pulled out a book.

"Good fight, you remind me a student of mine," he said as he replaced his forehead protector over his eye. "You have a lot of chakra in your body, my Sharingan eye can sense it. We should train so you can release that chakra…" he said casually. Fayt smiled smugly and looked at his beaten comrades.

_Boy, am I glad Kakashi is an ally, I'd hate to fight him for real, who knows what else he has up his sleeve! _"Well Tsunade was right, you guys will only be able to help us on our journey."

Kakashi smiled and got off him, he helped Fayt up and got the others together to go rest in the shade. Afterwards, he treated them to some Ichiraku Ramen, and actually paid for it.

* * *

"Alright Kakashi, I expect a full report when you get back. All of you, Raikiri, Yamato, look out for each other alright?" Tsunade said. They were at the gates of Konoha, getting ready to leave.

"Yes m'am," Raikiri and Yamato said.

"Oh and its ok if you take off your masks for this mission and you can tell our allies your real names. Its important to encourage trust and respect for one another. The two nodded and Yamato took off his mask. He had a normal face. He wore a piece of headgear that surrounded his skull but let his hair out on the top.

"Hello my name is Tenzou, I am usually very friendly, nice to meet you guys," he said to Nel, Albel and Fayt. "Didn't you guys have another companion?"

"Yes, he went ahead to the ship," Fayt replied.

Raikiri took her mask off, and she was a young, attractive lady. "Hi, my name is Risa. I hope to get along well with you guys!" She smiled sweetly. Everyone exchanged greetings and took the chance to formally get to know each other.

_Hmm these ANBU guys. Their mood is totally different from before when they were quiet and listened to Kakashi's orders. _Nel thought.

"Fayt, everyone, good luck. Cliff explained to me the necessity of a successful mission. The fate of the universe is on the line here. I hope Kakashi and his group will be helpful. And above all keep safe. I don't want to keep rambling so…just a few wise words the Third Hokage, my predecessor and teacher, once taught me. The foolish soldier saves his friends during battle. While a good soldier completes the mission at all costs. Better to be a fool than heartless," she finished.

Fayt nodded, "Thanks for the hospitality Hokage-sama, I'll bring your agents back safely, soon enough." They walked along the road and left the village, they didn't have far to go. He looked back at the Village Hidden in the Leaves. _I feel like I'm gonna be back here in the future. I don't think our story with these people is done quite yet._

They reached the ship an hour later, and Cliff had the ship prepped for departure. The citizens of Konoha looked at the technological wonder but did well to hide the intensity of their emotions.

Cliff introduced himself and tried a move on Risa, but was smacked by Nel and told him to get his head out of the rut. Everyone laughed as Cliff jetted the ship out of the atmosphere.

* * *

**Alright thats all for now folks, stay with me :) R&R!!!**


	17. Chapter 16:Last Minute Preparations

**Hey People! Its been a while. Alright So let's keep going, the end is nigh!!!**

A/N: I dont own Star Ocean or Naruto

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Chapter 16: Last-Minute Preparations**

_Dec. 29__th__, Somewhere in the Alpha Sector, Diplo II._

Two figures stood in the rather large room. It was quite dark, it was a wonder how the two saw in the room. Both figures had swords drawn, one older man with long, white spiky hair. His hair was rather messy and looked like a mop that covered his eyebrows but not his eyes. His eyes were rather strange, his left eye was normal, but his right…it was rather peculiar.

The eye on the right had a scar over the eyelid and underneath it. His eye was red and looked menacing, it had a dot in the center and had three spokes around the dot, forming a wheel. The figures eyes were totally accustomed to the dark, and the lack of light didn't hinder his movement at all.

However, the other figure was younger and had blue hair and blue eyes, both were normal. He was breathing hard and had trouble seeing in the light. He held his sword loosely in front of him, waiting to anticipate Kakashi's next attack.

_Alright, so Kakashi has no trouble seeing in this condition. He can strike me from underground using that digging technique of his…and he can easily strike me from above. Gah! His techniques totally render mine useless! I'll have to try it…_

Fayt conjured his chakra for a second, the way Kakashi taught him how to. He formed hand seals. "Lightning Style…Raikou-Boruto(Lightning Bolt)!" He had his two palms together, but pulled them apart and a thin bolt of lighning crackled and formed. He handled the lightning bolt in his hand and threw it upwards. As it reached a certain height, "Release!" he yelled and the lightning bolt dispersed. It broke into a million tiny lights and the photons emitted brilliant flashes of light.

It illuminated the room and Fayt instantly spotted Kakashi. "Raikou-Boruto!!" Fayt yelled as he threw two more lightning bolts at Kakashi. Kakashi quickly formed three hand signs.

"Chidori!!" he yelled and he cut through the lightning bolts thrown at him.

"Damn it, Dimension Door!" he yelled. Kakashi smiled, he instinctively ducked, his Sharingan had detected the attack. _Damn, I only have one last new technique…_Fayt threw a flurry of strikes at Kakashi with his sword, he soon found an opening and raised his blade to his neck. His figure popped…shadow clone. Kakashi appeared behind him and kicked Fayt down, it also popped. Another shadow clone.

"Impressive Fayt, you've gotten the Shadow Clone Jutsu down. Also, you've developed your own technique, you're a pretty amazing kid! Now show me that last technique!" Kakashi yelled. He examined his surroundings with his Sharingan, as he produced the seals for the Chidori. His hand began to crackle and then he moved towards one direction and attacked Fayt, who had jumped from behind him. It popped…as it popped, the real Fayt appeared. He had formed the hand signs for Chidori…but instead…his palm began to grow red until his entire palm was surrounded by fire.

"Gogyou-Hirate (Literally, Fire-Palm. Yes, it is Chidori but fire style, instead)." He charged at him, but Kakashi raised his own Chidori palm and the two great forces collided. There was a bright flash of light and then the lights in the room turned on. Kakashi was lying on the floor, facing upwards.

_He…He beat me? _Kakashi looked up to see Fayt offering his hand, smiling at him. "You sure are something, you came up with two whole new jutsus (techniques) in one day!" Kakashi said in wonder.

"Well, I had a really good teacher!!" Fayt laughed nervously. "So, I was wondering, why can't I learn the Chidori?"

"Ah, my other student asked me the same thing. You see, when you strike with the Chidori, you are traveling at a super fast speed. And normal human eyes won't be able to detect the movements of your opponent. So you could be charging in directly and not see your opponent raise his hand-," Fayt cut him off.

"But…you're already moving at a really fast speed, won't my opponent not be able to see it. And moreover, why can you use it?"

"Ahh, I was just getting to that. Ah, when attacking with the Chidori, with normal eyes you develop major blind spots, moving at that speed. I can use it because of my Sharingan, I can detect all movements and adjust my trajectory according to my opponent's next move."

"Oh, that makes sense, at least I have the Gogyou-Hirate!" Fayt said happily.

"Alright Fayt, one last thing. Just to give you something to think about. Form your Gogyou-Hirate for a second." Fayt nodded, he formed the seals and then his fire-palm formed.

"Ok you have two elemental chakras, Lightning and Fire. Now try condensing the fire into a ball. This is called Shape Manipulation Chakra Energy, which is giving your chakra a physical form, while combining it with Elemental Energy Chakra."

"Umm, alright," Fay focused on his palm and the fire began to swirl at the center of his palm, but he wasn't able to from it into a ball, it fell apart. "Grr. Can you show me an example, Sensei?"

"I actually cannot, this has never been done before, by any shinobi. The combination of Elemental Chakra and Shape Manipulation would produce an incredible technique. Some, shinobi can easily master Elemental Chakra, others Shape Chakra. Alright, here is the best example I can give you." Kakashi held his palm in front of Fayt. Soon a condensed, swirling, blue ball of energy formed in his palm. "Now in my case, I would have to try to add Lightning natured energy to this Shaped Chakra. But, as I said…it has never been done. It's like…looking left and right at the same time."

"So you're saying I have to give my fire-element energy, shape, like that ball?"

"Yep."

"Hmm, that is hard."

"Don't worry about it too much, it was just something to get you thinking. You can try it on your own time, you know practice on your own."

"There is one last thing I want to teach you, considering how fast you grasped these concepts. Collaboration Jutsu. Now the point is to combine your two elements into one attack. Now take your Raikou-Boruto. You also have fire elemental. So throw a Raikou-Boruto," Kakashi said. Fayt did as he was told. As he did, Kakashi formed multiple hand seals, "Katon, Gokakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Style, Fireball Technique)." His technique set fire to the lightning bolt. Fayt looked on in wonder.

Kakashi gave him the signal and they both released their techniques. "Now, for the fireball technique, form the seals, build up your chakra in your chest…then release it in one huge burst, to create the fire."

Fayt nodded and went to work at his technique. Kakashi covered his Sharingan eye, pulled out his Make-Out Paradise Book, and propped himself against the wall.

* * *

"Alright, so it is almost time, report," Mirage said tersely. They were in a conference room in the _Diplo II._ All the leaders of the Allied Groups were present on the long conference table.

"Well, the Invasionary Force is ready. We agreed that Fayt will be the leader of the Ground Assault. While Mirage will command the _Diplo II _and she will be the Grand Admiral of the fleet. Captain Kirk will command the _Hawk. _King Elmond will command the _Tomahawk II. _Commander Wifra has the _Sharktooth. _Captain Gordon will fly in the new _Adamant. _Mrs. Leingod will have the _Justice Avenger_. The Tetragenians will be in the _Divine Fate. _Ah am I forgetting anyone?" Cliff asked, nervously.

"Nope," Captain Gordon said.

"Alright, as you all know, Fayt's unit will go first in the shuttle, to lower their defenses. The Earth has a planetary shield and gun from the Planetary Defense Building. The gun can incinerate anyone of our ships in one blast, so the ground forces have to move in real fast. Once the planetary shield is down the rest of the ships will fly in, and we'll give them hell. So once our invasionary force is on Earth, we'll have to fight our way to Federation Square in the Federal City. Federation Square, being where the Prison Cube, Planetary Defense Building, and Federal Tower are all located." Cliff paused.

"Is it going to be that easy to fight through the city?" Commander Wifra asked.

"No, it is definitely going to be a bloody fight, high casualty rates are certain. We just gotta believe in Fayt, I'm confident that he'll lead us to the end. Anyways, on the Ground, Fayt's forward task force will have to break up. I'm going with Fayt, Albel, and Kakashi's Group to the Federal Tower. While Nel, Peppita and Kian will lead a group to the Planetary Defense Building to take it down. Then, Adray and Ophelia will lead an attack force into the Prison Cube, to release the prisoners and cause a bunch of chaos. So hopefully, Fayt along with me and others, will take down this Indalecio character and retrieve our friends. In a nutshell, it sounds real easy. But, in reality the success rates are less than 50%."

"But we have to try, nonetheless! We cannot let this evil grow, unchallenged!" King Elmond yelled.

"Well said Your Highness," Cliff said. "Despite the odds, we have to do something, and if we fail, someone else will step up to challenge them!"

"Yeah!" everyone in the room exclaimed.

"Alright get some rest guys, we're gonna need it," Mirage ended bitterly.

* * *

"Collaboration Jutsu!! Dragon's Breath" He conjured his Raikou-Boratu and then produce a Gokakyuu no Jutsu. The lightning crackled around the fire.

"Well-Done, I am very impressed, huh?" Kakashi asked as he turned around and the training room's door opened up. Risa, Yamato, Albel, and Nel walked in.

"We were watching you, well done, very good young Fayt," Yamato said.

"Th-Thank you, Yamato-sensei!"

"Seeing your two elementals makes me think…right Kakashi?"

"Yes, he possesses a Kekkei-Genkai, or a special gene, Yamato has one, go ahead, explain."

"Right, I have Water and Earth elementals. I use both hands together to make wood, how about you have you tried using both elementals?"

"I think so, I have a hunch what it produces, It releases Ethereal Energy…it's a real long story to explain. But, to make a long story short I can blow battleships up with the energy, the thing is that it is only released when I'm very angry.

"I don't seem to follow…you can tell us your story, we have loads of time on our hands," Kakashi said, as he shut his book. Then, Fayt told his story.

"Hmm, I see. It is a totally new elemental altogether. I've never even heard of one like it. And I was puzzled at first at how it could naturally occur…but the truth is that your Kekkei-Genkai is indeed _unnatural_." Kakashi said as he pondered other facts.

"Alright, let's focus on manifesting that energy, without losing control," Yamato suggested.

"Right, be carful Fayt, don't overdo it, if you feel the slightest loss of control, we'll have to knock you unconscious or something," Kakashi said seriously. Fayt nodded and focused his energy. He practiced releasing the energy like chakra. A blue aura began to form around his body.

_Amazing, the chakra is incredible. It is almost like…Naruto's fox chakra…this is uncanny indeed._ Kakashi analyzed as he looked on in wonder.

"K-Kakashi sensei, I'm starting to lose it, take me out…n-now!!" Fayt's yelled as his eyes began to blink blue. Kakashi disappeared in a flash, and appeared behind Fayt and hit him on the neck. Fayt's body fell limp as he fell unconscious to the floor.

About 30 minute later…Fayt opened his eyes to see Kakashi offering him a water bottle. "Hey, take a break for awhile," Kakashi said with a smiling face.

"Why…why is it so easy to lose control?" Fayt asked frustratingly.

"Fayt, you have to remember, it is a great amount of energy, a large amount is always difficult to control. Further more, stronger energies are difficult to control as well. I've figured out a way to help you…a chakra control exercise. This is a basic exercise that even our genin, the lowest ninja level, are taught."

"Fayt stood up and looked at Kakashi. "Right, so what am I gonna do?"

"You're gonna climb the walls…with only your feet."

"Eh…what?" he replied. Nel chuckled in the background.

"Fayt, its something that all ninjas learn, the art to 'sticking to walls' as you call it," Nel laughed.

"Oh…so how do I go about to doing this?" Fayt asked.

"Alright, watch me. First concentrate your chakra in your feet. Now the trick is to get just the right amount of chakra. If you have too much chakra it will push you off. If you don't have enough, your feet won't stick to the walls. You could also use this technique to walk on water, virtually anything really."

"Gotcha," Fayt concentrated on focusing his energy into the soles of his feet. As soon as he was ready, he began to run at the wall in front of him and ran up the wall. At first he only went 5 feet, and his feet weren't sticking too much to the wall.

He attempted a second time but was pushed off of it; too much that time. He kept at for almost two more hours straight. _What stamina! _Kakashi thought, as he watched on.

He tried one more time and suddenly his feet instantly stuck to the wall.

"Haha!!" he yelled in triumph as he walked all the way up until he was hanging upside down from the ceiling. His face began to grow red as the blood rushed to his head. He released the chakra and let himself fall to the ground. A rush of air whipped his face, then he pulled a graceful flip in the air. Before he landed, he focused his Ethereal Chakra in his feet. Then he released it and blue energy rippled from his feet. He was floating in midair.

The chakra was being released like fire from a jet, from his feet. It had him suspended there, as if time was still. "Well what do you know," Kakashi whispered.

"Amazing Fayt!!" Nel yelled. Fayt hovered around the room and grinned triumphantly. He moved around by releasing a burst of Ethereal Chakra from his palms and feet. Fayt landed in front of Kakashi.

"I figured it out," Fayt said happily.

"Figured what?" Kakashi asked sarcastically.

"How to control the Ethereal Chakra. Say I want to move faster, I'd focus the energy in my legs. If I want to fire some energy, I'd focus it in my palms. If I wanted increased strength, I focus the energy in my arms. So instead of just releasing the energy throughout my entire body, I have to control it in spurts."

"Excellent work Fayt, now think carefully, what else can you create from this new energy?"

"Another technique…Oh I got it! Instead of releasing the energy in my palms as a blast. I…I…would let it build up, hold it and form something like the Gogyou-Hirate. Instead it would be a Seishou-Hirate (energy palm)."

"Exactly. Now, I can teach you countless things, but we don't have the time. And besides you need your rest, as do I, hahaha."Kakashi replied. The group called it a day and they retired to their respective rooms. Fayt walked down to the _Diplo II_'s hangar bay to the _Justice Avenger_. The others followed him as well, as they were all in his unit.

* * *

_Dec. 30__th__…Diplo II. 1 day from invasion._

The group had amassed in the tactical situation room it was a big and round conference room with a hologram table in the center. At that moment a hologram of Earth was displayed. Surrounding the Earth hologram were thousands of tiny holograms that represented ships protecting it. Mirage stood at the center of the room, she stood silent with her eyes closed as the room filled in.

Fayt and Company were seated very close to the center. As the number of people entering became less and the scattered voices died down she opened her eyes.

She cleared her throat and began to talk. "Alright guys, tomorrow is the big day. We are already in preliminary preparation for the attack. Soldier units are already suiting up and pilots are already forming squadrons. You will all receive your orders from your respective superiors. At any rate you all have been informed about the sequence of our battle plan. My purpose is to explain the Ground Assault. Commander Fayt Leingod will be leading that attack," she paused to let Captain Gordon adjust the hologram.

It changed to a Bird's Eye perspective of the Federal City, at the center was the Federal Square. "The advance unit will land within one of the areas with a lower concentration of enemies. They will attempt to clear the area to form a Command Post, where our forces will rally. This conflict could drag on for days so we must be prepared. Once the command post has been established, the remaining ground forces will clear a way for Fayt's unit to move into the Federal Square. Fayt, your group will be taking 4 light repulsor lift tanks to breach the defenses. You'll understand when the time comes."

Fayt nodded and allowed her to continue. "Alright people…this is our only shot so make it count! We can only hope for a success because you already know that success is uncertain. But we have to do something, we have to try! So let's get out there and kick some ass! Alright report back to your units and relay the information to your subordinates, good luck everyone!" she ended. Everyone shouted out in agreement.

Fayt and his crew were back on the _Justice Avenger_, it was out of the _Diplo_'s hangar and was flying with the rest of the fleet. Everyone was suiting up for the battle. Guns and cannons were being loaded, ships and fighters were being fueled, and perhaps, final prayers were being spoken. Fayt stood on the observation deck of the ship. He stared out into space once again.

Everyone else was getting their gear together and preparing themselves both mentally and physically. He was the only one in the room, which reflected his feelings. He felt like he was isolated from the others. He was the one everyone was depending on, he felt as if he was alone in this fight. But he realized he was wrong._ Maria is fighting too, and I guess its unfair to say that I am alone. I have companions willing to die for me, if the time arises. Everyone is in this, we're all pushing for the same goal_. He thought grimly.

Fayt was already ready, he had replace his leg armors for lighter leg guards that were white. His new fighting style favored more speed and less weight. His sword case, was belted onto his back as usual, it had two blades sticking out of it. 'Destroyer' and an ANBU sword that Kakashi gave him. He had a blue carbonite chest plate on and had blue gloves on.

Fayt's mom soon entered the room, she had been looking for her son. "Fayt, what's wrong?" She asked as she picked a seat next to him. She brushed it real quick to get rid of some dust on it.

"It's just…I wonder if Dad knew all this was going to happen, did you?"

"Fayt…don't blame your father too much. And as a matter of fact, I did have an idea of your father's fears. You may ask why I didn't stop him? To be honest, I believed he was right in fearing these events. And the reason I went along with his plans in regards to you is because I thought…that only you, our son, would be the one able to carry this burden. I-I-I'm sorry," she finished with a tear.

Fayt quickly apologized and hugged his mother. A while later, Nel and Albel entered the room. Albel was armored in a full Japanese Samurai outfit. He just didn't wear the face mask or helmet. The armor was red and made him seem more ferocious. His shotgun and his katana hung from his belt, tied at his waist. Nel was the same, no new equipment or anything. Kakashi;s group walked in afterward , however Kakashi was missing. The two masked figures stood silent in the room, obviously speechless at the task at hand. They were still awaiting Adray, Peppita, Kian, Ophelia, and Cliff.

Adray came in, actually wearing a heavy suit or crystal gemenite armor. He was fastening the buckles around it to make sure it would stay on tightly. Soft clicking noises were produced when the buckles clamped onto each other. Ophelia, Kian and Peppita had their usual outfit on. Nothing new or out of the ordinary.

Fayt spoke first. "Well guys, needless to say, we have a tough job ahead of us. I just want to thank you all for sticking with me to this point. If any of you want to back out now, I won't blame you. You can take a shuttle and travel anywhere you want," he paused to see if anyone would reply to his rhetorical question.

"Come on Fayt, we won't back out now," Nel said.

"Yeah you fool, besides I still gotta get stronger than you and have our rematch," Albel replied. The others just grinned at him. They chuckled for a second as the door to the observation deck slid open. Finally, Cliff entered the room, with Kakashi next to him; who had his mask on. Cliff had his usual attire on, but his gauntlets were different. His new gauntlets covered his forearms and were white. Attached to the end was a short blade that was retractable so he could wield it like a kunai knife.

"Hey Cliff, nice of you to join us."

"Sorry Fayt, Kakashi was giving me a lesson on elemental chakra, and how to focus it into weapons."

"Really? Well I look forward to seeing your move in action soon enough. So where was I? Right, look thanks again, and all we can hope for is a success to get Maria and Sophia back to save the universe."

"So, no pressure right?" Adray asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, that's right," Fayt laughed. A chime rang and then a voice on the loudspeaker spoke.

"Captain Leingod please report to the hangar. Captain Leingod please report to the hangar immediately, thank you."

"Well guys, that's our cue. Let's go!"

"Yeah!!! Let's kick some ass guys!" Cliff yelled as he punched his palm to exaggerate his emotions. They all exited the observation deck and silently paced to the hangar. The weight and reality of their task had just dawned on them. They entered the hangar, to see a scene of chaos.

People were running all about prepping ships and boarding fighters or loading weapons. One of the deck operators spotted Fayt's group and told them to come over.

"Alright sir, I have your shuttle ready over there by area A-1, if you'll follow me I'll lead you right to it." Fayt nodded his group followed him they walked past numerous fighters and cruisers. Fayt's mom left them as they neared the shuttle, she said she was paged and needed to report to the deck. Fayt looked at her sadly as she walked away.

Cliff spotted this and put a hand on Fayt's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. You will see her again." He patted him on the shoulder and walked away, as he continued to follow the deck operator. They reached the shuttle where about 10 soldiers stood, checking their gear, and preparing to board. A soldier walked up to Fayt.

"Sir, I'm Captain Lagers, Kirin Lagers. We're 10 of King Elmond's best soldiers, he ordered us to protect you and act as bodyguards," the soldier said.

"Thank you, I appreciate it, let's get on with it then, shall we?" Fayt replied. They all clambered on to the shuttle and the ramp shut with a hiss. Cliff got into the pilot's chair and Fayt got into the copilot chair. Everyone else sat in black chairs behind the two forward chairs.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm powering the engines as we speak. Alright, here we go!" he punched the power button and the engines screamed to life. Everyone in the hangar looked at the shuttle first, before it left the hangar. The shuttle slowly drifted off in space as it detached itself from the fleet.

"Mirage this is Attack Squadron Alpha, and we are going into gravitic warp in 5 minutes. Commencing Phase I of attack." Fayt said over the comm.. line.

"Alright Fayt, good luck, keep safe, and look out for each other."

"Will do Mirage, expect the signal soon."

"Roger."

The space around the shuttle slowly changed into the surroundings of Gravitic Warp Space. Fayt sat in his chair and was very tense. After about an hour of travel the console beeped the computer's voice rang out.

"Exiting Gravitic Warp in 5…4…3…2…1." The space around them changed into conventional space and the group was in awe at what was in front of them.

"Cliff…weren't there supposed to be less ships?" Fayt asked slowly.

"Y-Yeah…what the hell is going on here!" Cliff punched a few buttons on the console. "Computer, estimate number of enemy craft present."

"Calculating…on board computation estimates about 200,000 ships sir."

"T-That's twice as much as our fleet's…" Fayt said slowly. Cliff swore but had to compose himself as the console began to beep.

"Sir, incoming transmission from Nedian Flagship, _Maelstrom Whirlwind_."

"Patch them through," Cliff said as he and Fayt put on Nedian helmets.

"This is Nedian command, Please identify yourself shuttle," the voice said. It was harsh, cold, and emotionless.

"Affirmative sir, Shuttle 'Poodle', ID # X-124368798," he replied. He looked at Fayt, "Let's hope your mom's fabricated file works." Fayt gulped and nodded.

"Thank you shuttle 'Poodle', you are clear to go, we're lowering Earth's planetary shield as we speak."

_They fell for it! _Fayt thought. They wouldn't be able to bring the shield back up for another hour, so they were golden.

"Mirage, its go time, commence Phase II," Fayt said as he sent a message to Mirage, giving her the 'go ahead'.

"Alright so here comes the hard part…"Cliff mumbled.

"Yeah…" Fayt whispered as they looked at the fleet in front of them and felt discouraged. But he dispelled those thoughts when he thought about rescuing Maria. _We're coming, just hold on!_

_

* * *

Right, we're gettin close to the end, stay with me!!! R&R  
_


	18. Chapter 17: Space and Land Conflict

**right so the end is nigh!!!!! for the few people still reading this**

A/N: i own nothing

**

* * *

Chapter 17: Space Fight and Ground Invasion**

Mirage was examining a bunch of charts from the corner of her eye on the main screen of the _Diplo II_'s bridge. Suddenly the armrest of her chair began to bleep loudly. Mirage gasped. "Helmsman, prepare the gravitic warp engine. Communications officer, give the go ahead to the rest of the flagships, here we go!!"

The people on the bridge nodded and got to work and began to punch buttons and speak loudly. Mirage felt her stomach lurch as it usually did whenever she went into gravitic warp. It was a small discomfort, but it still had not gone away, after all this time. The rest of the fleet jumped right behind them.

* * *

"Shit, what are we supposed to do while we wait for Mirage, there's gonna be at least 15 minutes of warp time!" Cliff exclaimed.

"Well the shield is down and they haven't suspected a thing yet, but if we keep going they'll discover us soon as we enter the Earth's atmosphere," Fayt analyzed.

"Grr, how are we going to buy time?" Cliff whispered.

"Shuttle, you have been given clearance, please proceed to these coordinates, immediately, or you will be boarded."

"Uhh sorry sir, we're having technical difficulties with our engines…." Fayt made up quickly.

"Alright, one of our battleships will take you in, it will take about 5 minutes."

"Gah! Mirage haul some ass and get your butts out here!!!" As if in response the entire fleet appeared at that moment with all weapons blaring.

"Hey open a line with the _Diplo II_ , quick!" Cliff commanded. "Hey Mirage, what the heck, how did you guys get here so quickly?"

"I'm not quite sure myself but…I think that one Wise Man that Fayt spared helped. He appeared in front of the entire fleet in the middle of Gravitic Warp, glowed, then he blew up and now you see us here. It was pretty amazing actually…"

"Alright, but anyways I'm pretty sure you realized how outnumbered we are here," Cliff said grimly over the line.

"Woah you are right, grr, damn we just got hit pretty hard. Cliff, I'll talk later, I guess we'll just have to suck it up and deal."

"Yeah, alright where do you want us?" Cliff asked as he piloted the shuttle, avoiding blasts."

"I'm sending 6 fighters to fly with you, I want you guys to focus on the taking out other fighter squadrons, don't get entangled in sticky situations. You guys are the key of this operation, so don't get killed. You'll be flying under call sign 'blue' leader."

"Copy Admiral," Cliff said seriously. "Fayt get on the tail gunner. You Expellians get on the wing turrets, alright hang on tight guys!" Cliff pulled them into a barrel roll as he dodged blasts.

"Cliff we got two fighters hot on our tails, watch out they're coming in hot. Wait hold on I've got six blue ships flyin in too!" Fayt yelled frantically.

"Don't worry they are friendlies, look they just cleared the ships on our tails. Alright so we gotta figure out what the best course of action is. We gotta get down to that planet, real quick," said Cliff.

"I have an idea, it is a daring one, but it may work…We gotta tackle the Nedian flagship head on."

"Fayt that's suicidal! That ship has loads of other battleships and gunships protecting it. And the only flagship that can take it is the _Diplo II. _But there is a high possibility that it won't make it out alive in the process!" Cliff yelled.

"No, I mean all our forces will gang up on it, and then we'll have to take the casualties we get."

"Wait, I think there is a better option. What about the Ethereal Cannon on board the _Justice Avenger_?" Nel suggested.

"Nel, that cannon is untested and no one knows if it will work or not. And besides we would need a clear shot, a shot to rock the ship only a little off course, could waste our effort," Fayt said.

"Alright let's do it, its our best shot," Cliff said. He turned the ship back towards the _Justice Avenger._

"Hold on Cliff, we have no idea how the weapon will work!"

"It doesn't matter, I'll worry about getting you that shot, just be ready to pull the trigger for me when you get the opportunity. Alright get to the transporter, it'll transport you to the Ethereal Chamber directly."

"Bu-Fine. I guess you are right." Fayt dashed to the end of the shuttle and scrambled into the transporter.

"Mirage, I'm sending Fayt back to the Avenger. We are going to try to use the Ethereal Cannon."

"On what, may I ask!" she yelled. She sounded quite exasperated.

"The Nedian Flagship," Cliff said simply.

"Ok, and how do you propose we get him the clear shot that is required of the cannon?"

Cliff smiled. "How do you topple a king in chess?"

"You have to eliminate the pawns…" Mirage said slowly and her eyes widened, when she realized the answer.

"Exactly," Cliff replied simply.

* * *

"Alright all wings form on me," Cliff said through the comm. line. "Alright we're runnin this one hot and quick. We just gotta make a big enough commotion to attract a lot of attention." Cliff had instructed half the fleet to attack the entire front line of the main force, head on.

Cliff led a strike on the large group of battleships. The Expellian and Klausian fleets soon joined the fray. Their ships engaged the Nedian ones, and were spectacularly outflying them. This part of the battle was going bad for the Nedians.

Mirage sat in her chair and watched the huge tactical screen. "I can't believe it. His plan is working. They've split up the entire Nedian fleet, and the rest of the fleet is converging on them. Which is leaving the _Maelstrom Whirlwind…_unprotected. Alright. Commander Wifra move your fleet to relieve the Expellian Fleet."

"Copy," she replied.

"Alright I also want the _Tomahawk II _to maneuver to disguise the _Avenger's _movement toward the enemy backline. I don't want any enemies to even realize that the _Avenger _has fallen out of formation." Mirage looked at the screen again. "I want the _Adamant _to maneuver to the enemies' right flank. Have the _Divine Fate _attack the left. Lets squeeze the life out of 'em!"

"Haha we got 'em!!" Cliff yelled triumphantly, as they saw two battleships go up in flames.

"Sir, its coming, the Nedian Flagship, its approaching!" an Expellian fighter exclaimed.

"Oh god, alright here we go, this is it, Fayt you ready?" Cliff asked over the comm. He marveled in wonder at the size of the gigantic flagship.

"Y-Yeah." Fayt responded over the comm. line. Suddenly out of nowhere, the _Justice Avenger_ appeared right above the _Maelstrom Whirlwind_.

Cliff gawked in wonder, "Fayt…who really knows how strong you are…" And just as quick as the _Avenger_ had appeared, the front opened up. The triangular ship's front split into three parts to reveal a huge cannon. The large barrel on the front was shining bright blue. The quick rush of blue energy burst from the cannon and engulfed the _Whirlwind. _

As soon as the blast had cleared, the ship was gone. Cliff was amazed but more worried about Fayt. "Fayt you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm kind of groggy but, I should be fine…" he said. He sounded very airy and exasperated.

"Damn it!" Mrs. Leingod yelled over the comm.

"What?" Cliff yelled.

"We've just lost all power to systems, shields are down, weapons are down, oh no!!"

"Shit! All forces protect the _Avenger_!" Cliff yelled. The Nedian flagship might have been destroyed but other enemies soon began to attack the _Avenger_.

"Hull Integrity has dropped to 50%!" Mrs. Leingod yelled.

"Damn there are just too many damn enemies to contain them! Fighters, target the ships aiming directly for the _Avenger_!" Cliff yelled.

Honestly it was hard to tell friend from foe at the moment. There was just extreme chaos that had resulted from the Nedian flagship's destruction. Nedian cruisers were in disarray and unorganized. At that moment a Nedian gunship lost its stabilizers and crashed into the _Avenger._

"Mayday, Mayday! We are going down. I repeat the _Justice Avenger _is going down," Mrs. Leingod's voice rang in panic over the comm. line.

"Damn, Cliff. Did you see that? The Avenger just went down! Look take the ground forces now and go after them. They've just broken into the atmosphere, I'll send you the exact coordinates of the crash site when they hit the ground."

"Copy that Mirage, strike team heading down to the surface."

"Alright Transports 234 to 300 head down to Earth with Cliff's crew," Mirage said. "Alright all ships fall back into formation, we're suffering heavy losses. We may have taken out the _Maelstrom Whirlwind_ but we still have a fight to win." Mirage took a look at the tactical screen, they were still outnumbered.

"Mirage, the Klausian fleet has suffered heavily," Captain Fittir said through the line.

"Alright, Commander Wifra, maneuver to Point 234, approach vector of 25 degrees. I want you to defend Captain Fittir's retreat." She took another look at the tactical screen and noticed that moving Wifra's fleet would allow the Nedians a lot of breathing room. "Helmsman, move the _Diplo II_ to the _Sharktooth's _position."

"Admiral Koas!" the Communication Officer yelled. "Long-Range sensors detect gravitic warp gates opening up on the left flank of our forces."

"Damn, that is probably reinforcements from the remote stations. Captain Gordon, take your fleet to the left flank of the fleet and engage the enemy."

"Copy, Admiral."

"Damn the Klausians are getting pounded! Wifra what are you doing!" Mirage yelled through the line.

"I'm trying!" she yelled back. "They have 4 battleships that have us pinned down!"

The _Sharktooth_ was getting hammered from both sides. It had moved in front of the _Hawk_ to direct fire away from the Klausian ship. It was getting pounded by laser blasts and torpedoes.

"Divert all power to starboard shields. Cut power from engines and divert to the weapons system. Alright 1…2…3, fire!" The ship's disrupter cannons erupted and caught one battleship in the engines. But another Nedian cruiser replaced the ship and began to take potshots at the Vendeen craft.

"Hell, we're gonna get surrounded but, Helmsman turn the ship hard left and have our main Hyperion cannons facing those Nedian craft in sector 34."

"Copy, Admiral." The helmsman slammed the breaks. And the whole crew felt the whole ship break hard left.

"Alright show 'em what this thing has. Fire the Hyperion cannons now!" The _Diplo_'s cannons flashed bright yellow and tore through the Nedian craft.

"Thanks Mirage!" Wifra said. "Oh no a huge contingent of fighters and bombers are approaching."

"Damn. Gunships G-1 to G-10, converge on the _Diplo. _Fighter squads 10 to 30 draw fire away from the cruiser!" Mirage commanded. The Nedian fighters immediately began to target the three flagships. They swarmed them, the ships' huge cannons were too slow to get the small swarms of fighters.

The fighters soon arrived but they were totally outnumbered. "Mirage this is no use! There are just too many of them!" Wifra yelled back.

"I know, but we just gotta hold on until Fayt and Cliff get their job done."

"Well I wish they'd hurry up!Damn, Gordon's ship just got immobilized," Wifra swore.

"_Divine Fate _I need you to cover Gordon's ass, now!" Mirage yelled. She switched lines to the Klausian flagship. "Captain Fittir how is your ship?"

"Bad. The engines are not working. And the ship's core reactor is unstable."

"Alright stay put, wait what is that!" Mirage exclaimed. She saw a huge surge of green energy suddenly rip through the _Hawk_. "Captain Fittir!"

* * *

"Fayt…Fayt wake up!" a voice said. Fayt slowly opened his eyes and soon began to hear loud noises of explosions. Mrs. Leingod was slapping Fayt, so that he could regain consciousness. The explosions grew louder and louder until he finally came to.

The noise around them was so ridiculously loud. Explosions, gun fire, and loud screams could be heard all around them. "Where are we!" Fayt yelled.

"We're in the remains of the _Avenger_. When we took out the Nedian Flasghip, we got shot down shortly afterwards." The noise was so loud that Fayt barely understood what she said. He looked around and noticed that the part of the ship to his left was completely torn open. There were a bunch of troops in front of them taking cover and returning fire at enemies in front of them.

"Mother, if you would be so kind to excuse me…" he said quietly as he slowly stood up. He unsheathed the two blades strapped to his back and disappeared in a blur. One would have had to slow down the time to witness the grace and power of his actions.

He first dashed to a spot of cover behind a blown up vehicle. Three soldiers stood there, taking cover. He pounced on the first soldier; he stuck both swords into the man's chest. He jumped off the soldier and threw a bone crunching side kick into the head of the second soldier to the left. Then Fayt quickly cast a few hand seals and threw a bolt of lightning, and he smote the soldier square in the chest.

He dashed to the second site where a mass of soldiers were. There was a huge tank, where many soldiers were also hiding behind. Fayt charged 'Destroyer' with some energy and cut through the long, slim barrel like butter. There were 10 soldiers around the tank, that soon had their guns trained on Fayt. Fayt immediately threw his sword at the two soldiers on his left and right.

In a flash he disappeared again, and appeared behind a soldier. He quickly swept him and then kicked him in the throat. Fayt jumped over the tank to get to the soldier on the other side. He simply released a flurry of blows. 10 punched to the face, 13 to the stomach, and then a good kick right in the gut to top it all off.

He went to retrieve his swords from the bodies of the soldiers but the remaining soldiers began to fire wildly at him. He had to move agily to dodge them, and he wasn't so lucky a few times. When he had retrieved his swords he dealt with the last few soldiers quickly. The tank however, wasn't done yet. Its barrel was cut off, but it could still shoot rounds!

And since it was cut off, it produced an effect such as a sawed-off shotgun. The blast was dispersed and spread out. Fayt got caught by the blast and was thrown far backwards and crashed into a crushed car. He felt himself get cut by the rough metal edges as he hit the car.

The tank's cannon charged up again but was blown to bits by an unknown force. As the smoke cleared, three tanks came into view. They were all yellow and black. They had two repulsor lifts on either side of the craft that let it move around. Two front lifts, two back lifts. It had a domed top with two mounted laser cannons. It had two missile launchers next to the mounted guns.

The hatch of the tank opened up and Cliff looked at Fayt. "You ok kid?" he asked? Cliff jumped off the tank to help him up

"Yeah," Fayt said groggily as he took Cliff's hand to stand up.

"Alright, you've managed to get yourself into a fine mess huh?" Cliff yelled. He carried him back to the tank and pulled him in. He drove back to the remains of the Avenger.

They soon spotted Mrs. Leingod. "Alright so obviously the plan was a little distorted. But where is the rest of the invasionary force?"

"I had then land in the Western District, so that they can get things set up. I told them to rendezvous with us at the City Plaza. We're gonna go on ahead, can you guys clean this up?" Cliff replied.

"Yeah sure, we'll be right behind you." Fayt's mother bid them good luck and they headed back into the tanks. Fayt was riding with Cliff, Nel and Albel. The others had crammed into the two other tanks. Cliff rumbled past the enemies and the tank was rocked as they left the area. They traveled in a line; 1 in front, 1 in the middle, and 1 at the back.

They soon encountered 4 other tanks and a huge patrol of soldiers. "Damn, well we knew this wasn't gonna be easy," Cliff complained. They broke formation and Cliff moved to take on the first tank. "Watch this," Cliff said with a smile. He sped up toward the enemy tank, like he was going to collide into it. As they got closer, Cliff hit a button on the dashboard.

Fayt felt a quick bump, and the tank jumped off the ground. It did a backflip in the air as it spun over the enemy tank. Their tank landed on the ground perfectly, despite a rough landing. Cliff's move had placed them right behind the enemy tank. Cliff immediately pulled the cannon triggers and destroyed the first tank.

However, Cliff's move had placed him right in front of the enemy tank's range. The three other tanks began to take heavy shots at Cliff's tank. "Goddamn it!" Cliff swore as he quickly spun the tank around. Kian quickly sped over and took a few smart shots at the tank. He had aimed for the tanks wheels and had disabled the craft.

Cliff pulled the tank into a sharp turn and fired the torpedoes at the disabled tank. Now there were two tanks left, and three of them. The odds were in their favor. The tanks immediately began to unload everything they had on their group.

The three tanks agily dodged the blasts and returned fire when they could. The enemy scored a lucky shot on one of Cliff's repulsor lifts. "Shit!" he yelled as they spiraled out of control and crashed into a building on the street. Cliff smashed into the steering gear, and was out cold.

"Damn, Cliff!" Fayt yelled. He pulled Cliff up and examined his bloodied face. "Gah! Albel help me get Cliff outta here. Nel pop the hatch open, we're sitting ducks right now. We gotta move quick!"

Albel moved towards the front of the tank and cut Cliff's safety belt off. Fayt pulled him out of the chair and lifted him over his shoulder. "Jeez Cliff, you're heavy!" Nel blasted the top off with some Runology and the three jumped out of the tank. They watched as the last two of their tanks engaged the enemy.

Kian's tank strafed around the first tank, while the Expellian's tank made quick work of the one enemy tank. Their tanks were just too slow, to keep up with the Agile Expellian craft. Kian quickly looped around the side of the tank and exposed the weak side armor of the tank. Kian quickly saw the weakness, and strafed to the left of the tank and quickly fired the tank's missiles. The mess of the four tanks lay defeated in a pile of rubble.

Kian floated over and picked up the three of them. They had to squeeze in tight with the others; in the already small tank. "Woah what hapanned to him?" Kian asked as he piloted the tank. "He looks like hell!"

"Nahh he should be fine," Albel smiled. Everyone in the tank laughed and Ophelia looked at him and cleaned up his face. Nel cast a quick healing spell that helped him soon regain consciousness.

"Damn, I have one hell of a headache. Ugh. So Kian, how close are we to the rendezvous?"

"Nearly there, wait what the hell!" Kian yelled. They wondered what he was going crazy about. But they saw a huge blast of purple energy surging towards them.

"Dodge it damn it dodge it!" Cliff yelled.

"I know! aww shiiittt," Kian moaned. It was too late the blast was too close. It hit the tank dead on and rocketed them into the air and it smashed against a building and then landed, overturned on the road.

* * *

" Captain Fittir are you ok. Captain, sir do you copy?" the Expellians in the other tank asked.

"Admiral Koas, did you see that? We just lost the _Hawk!_" Wifra yelled over the line.

"Oh my god..Captain Fittir answer me! Kirk Fittir, answer me!" Mirage yelled desperately yelled through her comm. link. There was no answer. She watched in misery as the _Hawk _crumbled into three pieces. And numerous small explosions erupted on the surface of the ship. "Shit," Mirage muttered as the _Diplo_ was rocked by another explosion.

"Damn it another wave of bombers are making an attacking run," the Communications officer yelled.

"Great, this is exactly what we don't need," Mirage muttered under her breath.

"M'am we have more gravitc warp holes opening up on the starboard side again. Wait they are opening communications as we speak."

"Gah!!!!! Alright patch 'em through I guess."

"Captain of unidentified ship. What the hell is going on here?" a man yelled. He had a thick beard and a round, freckled face.

"May I ask exactly who you are? Declare whether you are friend or foe. We are attempting to overthrow the Nedian government, choose your side now!" Mirage yelled, quite overdramatically.

"Wait seriously? This is Fleet Beta X-9. We are returning from military training. We are an old Federation Fleet, that was converted to a Nedian one, during their takeover. Alright we're willing to help, where do you want us?"

"Thank god! You have no idea how much we needed help. I'm going to send your computer data to distinguish between friendlies and enemies. I want a large group of your bigger ships to maneuver to Mark 456…Point 345 to defend one of our disabled flagships. Then I want the rest of your ships to converge on my ship, the _Diplo II. _Our ships our pretty banged up."

"Roger, they are already on the way."

Mirage sighed but was robbed of her momentary reprieve. "M'am they are firing the Planetary Defense System. Its approaching at a bearing of 345 degrees and the computer estimates it is on a course to hit us!"

Mirage's eyes widened and she yelled at the helmsman, " Helmsman tilt the ship's center of balance to 145 degrees and completely knock out all the stabilizers on the ship's right side!"

"Yes m'am!!!" Suddenly the ship buckled and everyone in the room felt like they were inverted at a slant, due to Mirage's strange commands.. "Oh no! It is going to hit us!"

"Shit, brace for impact!" Mirage yelled. The ship was soon rocked by the blast. "AHHHHHH!!!!!!"

* * *

"Fuck! I am so tired of this day!!" Cliff yelled as be beat another soldier to a pulp with his gauntlets. They were glowing because he had learned how to focus chakra into the gauntlets. The group's tanks had been disabled by a stray mortar blast.

"Cliff, if we were just ambushed here," Fayt said as he dueled with three enemies. He slashed at them and killed them all. "What about the rest of the troops we were supposed to meet up with?"

"Damn, they are probably," Cliff gasped as he beat the heck out of another soldier. "They were probably attacked as well, they should only be a couple miles ahead." Fayt nodded. The rest of their group advanced forward, through the number of enemies.

Soon the large city plaza was visible. The City Plaza was a huge clearing in the center of the city. There used to be a huge number of shops, restaurants, and a large movie theatre there. Due to recent events, the area has been leveled to another battlefield.

As they approached the City Plaza there was only more violent fighting. Except they saw two lone figures in the center of the battlefield, single-handedly destroying their troops.

"Cliff do you see those two?" Fayt asked. He pointed at the two figures.

"Yeah, I see them alright, shit, this day really cannot get any worse!" Cliff moaned. He powered up his gauntlets. "Alright Nel go with Kakashi's unit to help our surrounding forces and try to help the wounded. Heck take the Expellian with you. Fayt, Albel and I will take on those two Wise Men."

"Alright, but if I see you three start to struggle…" Nel said threateningly.

"Yeah, Yeah, you'll come after us you fool. Don't worry about these worms, I'll protect their scrawny butts!" Albel said cockily.

Nel just scoffed and their group split up as they entered into the City Plaza. They had to be careful because there was a lot of crossfire between the two opposed sides. As they neared the two Wise Men, Fayt began to sprint very fast. Cliff tried to tell him to slow down, but Fayt was off. In one fast motion he threw himself at the Wise Man dressed in green armor and used a rapier as a weapon.

The Wise Man grunted and yelled in pain as Fayt stuck 'Destroyer' hard into his side. The Man writhed in pain, but quickly pulled out the sword and threw Fayt as far as he could.

Fayt soared in the air but he soon focused the chakra in his hands and feet, he soon found his balance and floated in the air. As soon as he gained his balance in the air, he jetted back toward the Wise Man. He began to fire pulses of ethereal energy at the Wise Man.

The Man smiled as he agily dodged each blast and then jumped at Fayt with his rapier pointed straight at him. Fayt quickly pulled a barrel roll in the air to avoid him. The Wise Man gritted his teeth and landed on the remains of a destroyed tank.

"Hey Vesper, I think he is the kid the boss wants!" the other Wise Man yelled from the center of the plaza.

"You might be right Nicolus, come and help me with him then!" the one called Vesper replied.

Nicolus was about to attack Fayt, when Cliff yelled, "OH NO YOU DON'T!" he yelled as he heaved his huge body at the god-like being. He held him down but Nicolus grabbed Cliff by the throat and slammed him into the ground. Out of nowhere Albel came falling from the air with his sword brandished.

"Take this worm! Heavenly Strike!" Albel rocketed towards the ground as Nicolus prepared to block the hit. But as Albel was a foot away from Nicolus, Albel disappeared in a quick burst of speed. He had twisted his body at the last second and rolled to the side, with the wind whipping his long hair. He landed perfectly on Nicolus's side. Then he jumped to begin hacking away at his side.

"Ahh Damn You!" he yelled in pain. As he backed away, Cliff had regained consciousness, and sprinted toward the disoriented foe.

"Take this, Fist of Might!" Cliff said, as his fist burned blue and punched him right in the face. Cliff just stood there trying to push him back, but Nicolus flat out took the punch to his face. Then, he wouldn't budge, he just smiled cheekily at them. Nicolus grabbed Cliff's hand tossed him like a doll, straight at Albel.

"Hell, why does this always happen to me?" Albel moaned as he closed his eyes and let the big oaf crash into him.

Fayt looked down at his friends and it made his blood boil. These god-like beings were seriously monsters. They had no remorse or regret of any of their actions. They were like cold machines, but actually bled like men. It seemed inconceivable that they actually had hearts and brains that would normally hold a conscience. Thinking of that made Fayt realize that, because of this, it would be easier for him to kill them.

He let out a savage cry and jumped at Vesper again. He unsheathed the ANBU sword and dashed at Vesper with two swords raised. Vesper smiled he held his hands wide open and then two objects materialized in his hands. He held a brown, tangled net in one and then a trident in the other.

Fayt saw this, and felt a brief second of doubt, but he didn't falter in his advance. Vesper moved quickly, as Fayt approached he swung the net at Fayt's feet. The net tied around Fayt's right foot and he quickly lost his footing. He fell to the ground and landed on his head. He felt his head throb and felt the blood rush to his head.

He had his stomach lying on the grounds and had his back exposed. Vesper began to thrust his trident down and crush Fayt's spine, but Fayt had recovered. He spun around on his back and brought his two swords up in an 'X' to catch the trident. He pushed his blades harder to break the head of the trident. Fayt charged his sword and blasted Vesper.

The man got blown away and conincidently got slammed into Nicolus. "God damn it you idiot!" Vesper yelled. He picked up Nicolus and dusted him off.

As the two sorted out their differences Fayt ran over towards Albel and Cliff to help them up.

"Damn, these guys are tough," Cliff spat.

"Look guys, I think we gotta keep these guys apart. Who knows what they could do together," Fayt said.

"Oh man too late," Albel said, probably not realizing that he didn't say 'worm' or 'fool'. The two Wise Men had locked hands and began to run around very quickly. They soon brewed a huge swirling vertex. It swirled up the rubble on the ground and various soldiers and was moving towards them.

"Ok Fayt, we need a plan, now!" Cliff yelled.

Fayt looked at the huge swirling vortex of terror. He suddenly remembered that time when they had fought against Robin Wind.

"Cliff, you remember that time when we fought Robin Wind in the Barr Mountains?"

"Hang on, oh yeah. That kid threw tornadoes at us too," Cliff recalled, then his eyes slowly widened as he remembered. "Oh no, I'm not throwing you too at this one, its too big!"

"No trust me! All I have to do is charge up my Blade of Fury and Albel has his new Heaven Strike. The plan is for you to throw me first so I can cut across it, then Albel will cut the thing vertically. It should disrupt their movement long enough, it should give you about a 30 second window to pull an Acrobat Locust on 'em."

"The fool's plan is foolish, no pun intended, but its dumb enough to work," Albel smirked. Cliff finally agreed, the tornado was getting really close now. Truth was they didn't have a better plan, so they either died or died trying.

Cliff threw Fayt straight at the center of the tornado and his blade shined bright blue as his blade cut threw the tornado. Half a second later Albel came thundering down from the heavens as he cut threw the tornado vertically. After a second or two, the tornado had cleared up. And the two Wise Men were in free fall towards the ground.

"Here's my chance, Acrobat Locust!" Cliff jumped so hard off the ground that he kicked up part of the street with him. The rocks actually collided into the Wise Men as he kicked them up and then kicked them down again. They landed in a mess on the ground.

The three regrouped as they looked on at their enemies. They seemed dead, but in a fast motion Vesper picked up Nicolus and threw him at Albel. Nicolus collided hard into Albel and the two flew up in the air then hit the floor with a loud thud. Cliff moved to try and help Albel but Vesper charged into him as well.

Fayt gritted his teeth and dashed over to aid his friends. Albel was soon locked in a fight with Nicolus, who was fighting with an old Claymore. Albel smiled as he saw the Claymore, it was a heavy sword and it slowed Nicolus down. Albel had his favored katana and his claw.

The hardened steel of the katana took the claymore's heavy blows quite well, and wasn't bending to the larger blade. In fact the curved edge of the katana let the claymore skim off the blade. It caused a few openings to be exposed and Albel was able to pierce through his chestplate with his claw.

Albel began to feel like he was in a delicate dance. He had been matching his foe strike for strike and soon felt like he was gaining the edge. He soon noticed a repetition to his skill. _Left, Right, High, Low, Stab_. As he was about to go low again, Albel rolled over the low strike. He got into a good horse stance and mercilessly cut at Nicolus's arm, completely severing it.

Nicolus screamed in pain and he dropped the huge claymore on the ground. Albel quickly snatched the Claymore and went medieval on his head. Fayt looked grimly at Albel's handiwork. "It was dirty, but I guess it worked. Wanna trade?" Fayt asked as he handed the ANBU sword toward him.

"Sure," Albel said simply. They after they had traded their weapons they immediately scanned the area to look for Cliff. They soon spotted him on top of the old movie theatre fighting 'mano a mano' with Vesper.

"How the heck did they get up there?" Fayt marveled.

"Well…Vesper probably beat the snot out of the worm and punched him to the top of that building. Then he probably jumped really high to continue beating the snot out of him," Albel said technically.

"Uh huh…you think we should help him?" Fayt asked.

"Nah! Let's watch and then we'll save the fool's life if he seems like he is going to lose," Albel sneered.

"Great works with me!"

"Oof, owie! I'm gonna make you-," Cliff yelled as he got smacked around by Vesper again. _Damn it, I can't keep getting smacked around like this. Where the heck are those dumbasses anyways? Oh well they are probably busy with the other one. I'm just gonna have to open a can of Klausian woop ass on this joker._

Cliff wiped the dirt and blood off his face. "Well you are very weak," Vesper joked.

"Am I now? Well you see, I've been holding back all this time. I've been training like this for a while now actually," Cliff said as he crouched down and began unbutton these leg guards no one had noticed. "Alright, now you're gonna get it…asshole." He cradled the leg guards in his arm for a second then he tossed them off the side of the building.

As the guards fell to the floor, the two watched them for a while. Vesper took his eyes off them and looked at Cliff. "Okay now you die." But as he had finished his sentence there was a loud noise of concrete breaking. Vesper looked at the ground and saw that there was a 30 yard crater where Cliff had dropped his leg weights.

"Yeah, now you're gonna get it," Cliff smiled. "Payback's a bitch…bitch!" Cliff charged at Vesper with lightning quick speed. He had moved faster than even Fayt could move. It was amazing Cliff was punching amazingly quick and kicking even faster. He punched high kicked low so quickly that Vesper had to scramble to block each blow.

Cliff released a flurry with his right hand, and then he found an opening where he was able to smash Vesper's head with a glorious left hook. This strike had left him stunned. Then Cliff followed up with a lightning quick tornado roundhouse kick. Vesper still had not budged, but he was taking major damage. He was just stunned and could not move.

"Game over, Sphere of Might!" Cliff yelled. A swirling sphere of pure energy began to hit Vesper and had rooted him in place. Cliff jumped back quickly and then smashed the ground with his fist. "Max Shockwave!" he yelled. The shockwave hit Vesper right as the Sphere of Might had dissipated. It knocked him high in the air. "Alright end game, Acrobat Locus!" Cliff jumped up and released a heavy barrage of blows.

Cliff finally ended his attack when he kicked Vesper in the stomach, making him fall towards the ground. Cliff put on another quick of burst speed and had landed on the ground underneath the spot Vesper was supposed to land. Cliff quickly raised his palm to land a backbreaking blow on Vesper's spine. He mercilessly threw him to the ground and spat on him. "Damn that was a pain," Cliff moaned as he cracked his neck. He suddenly heard someone clapping behind him. "Damn you two, were you guys just watchin the whole time?"

"Haha yeah, you worm," Albel smirked. Fayt and Albel were perched on top of one of the water towers on top of the building.

"You freaking jerks, what if I died!"

"Impossible, you fool, we would have beat the shit out of that guy before he actually killed you."

"Yeah but.."

"Look Cliff, Albel and I were watching you, you had the situation under control."

"Whatever, I kicked his ass though, huh?" Cliff asked, like an eager child.

"Yes Cliff, you're a complete badass," Fayt teased. About a minute later Nel appeared next to them from the shadows.

"Good job guys, we helped support our troops and we have gained a stable level of control of the City Plaza. More forces are coming in from our space forces, so we are ready to strike the Federal Square."

"Wait don't we need to like at least set up some sort of base or camp?" Fayt asked.

"Already done!" Nel said proudly. She led them to the edge of the top of the building and pointed at the tiny speck that was Yamato, producing a building from the ground.

"Wow impressive. Alright let's get down there, establish command then we'll move on Federal Square. I suspect Mirage and the fleet are getting pounded by the Planetay Defense Gun," Fayt said. Everyone agreed and they stood there for a second.

"Wait, you fools, how are we gonna get down?" Albel asked.

"We're gonna have to take the stairs I guess?" Cliff suggested.

"Nah, I can fly," Fayt said and jumped off the building.

"I can stick to walls and climb down the face of the building," Nel said as she left as well.

"Shit, I guess we have to use the stairs?" Cliff said.

"I guess so, let's go you worm," Albel hissed. They found the door leading into the abandoned building and began their long descent.

* * *

"Oh my god we survived!" the helmsman yelled. Mirage scoffed.

"Of course we lived, I had you tilt the ship completely parallel to the blast and therefore, was able to avoid the blast," Mirage said. "Alright, restore all the stabilizers and get this ship straight."

"Captain, bad news," the Communications Officer said.

"What is it?"

"The Nedians are assembling the last of their battleships and converging on the _Diplo_."

"Alright, I'm tired of sitting in this chair. Tell the Hangar Officer to prepare my ship. I also want Steeg and Marietta to suit up. They are two of my most capable pilots."

"Y-Yes m'am!" the Communications Officer.

"Oh yeah First Officer Steele, I'm promoting you to Captain, temporarily," Mirage said as she got out of her chair and exited the bridge.

Mirage entered the hangar and spotted her fighter. A sleek Trellian X-9 Fighter. It was a fast ship, very versatile and agile. It was shaped like the _Justice Avenger, _but obviously a lot smaller. The cockpit glass slid open as she approached, she had programmed it to recognize her scent. She climbed from the left side into the cockpit, it was a rather small cockpit, but Mirage didn't mind.

As she sat in her chair the whole cockpit whirred to life. The engines turned on with a loud rumble and her dashboard was immediately illuminated. "Hello Mirage," her onboard computer said.

"Hello Dack," Mirage replied. She punched in a few more keys to run her pre-flight check. Dack was the AI Mirage had programmed to aid her as a 'co-pilot' of some sorts. At times Dack was able to totally take control of the ship and run evasive maneuvers. "Dack re-run my pre-flight check and make sure all systems are go."

"Yes m'am."

Mirage checked her systems again and after Dack confirmed the test, she looked outside to see if Steeg and Marietta had boarded their respective fighters yet. When she looked up she saw that both ships were occupied and both of her subordinates were running the same tests she had just finished.

Mirage had chosen their fighters to contrast her own so that they could cover her ass. Steeg's ship was a slower ship that had heavy armor and firepower. While Marietta's fighter was more balanced, and then her ship was right in the middle. "Alright, are you guys ready?" Mirage asked.

"Ready to go," Marietta and Steeg replied.

"Alright, Hangar control, Redbirds 1, 2, and 3 requesting permission to launch," Mirage asked.

"You are clear to go Admiral," a voice replied.

"Launch!" Mirage punched the button on her console and her ship gunned out of the hangar into the fray. "Alright, Steeg, Marietta form on me."

"Madam, watch the crossfire between those capital ships up ahead, it could get messy," Dack said.

"Yes Dack thank you," Mirage turned her ship upwards and they flew right above the conflict. "Dack locate the capital ships identified on the Diplo."

"You mean the ones that are supposed to be mounting a counter offensive?" Dack asked.

"Yes those very ones."

"Calculating."

"Mirage looks like we've picked up a few stragglers behind us."

"Alright, increase speed. They are all mine, just cover me."

"Mirage you are outnumbered 4 to 1, wouldn't it be smarter to fight with companions?"

"No Dack, watch this," Mirage said. She turned her ship around and flew at the enemies at full speed. She pulled her ship into a barrel roll and it began to spin at a high rate. "Dack increase frontal shields."

She pulled the trigger and the green pulses fired at the enemy ships. Due to the spin, the bolts were released in random directions and angles and the ships were destroyed. She pulled out of her spin and rejoined Steeg and Marietta.

"Well done Mirage."

"Thank you Dack, now let us proceed to those ships, have you calculated which ships they are?"

"Yes, and considering their speed I have been able to formulate their next plan of action. There are 10 Battleships on a collision course with the main fleet."

"What?!" Mirage exclaimed.

"The first ship is right ahead," Dack responded.

"Okay, looks like we've got a lot of stuff on our hands here. We just have to hold out until Fayt and the others pull through." Mirage accelerated to an even faster speed. "Alright, Steeg, Marietta lock onto the closest battleship right ahead of us, we're taking it head on."

* * *

To be Continued...


	19. Chapter 18: Doors

**A/N: Right we're close to the end, so lets keep goin.**

Discloser: I own nothin

**

* * *

Chapter 18: Doors**

"Kian are the cannons set up?" Cliff asked through his comm. line.

"Yes they are all set-up, we will fire on your mark," Kian replied.

"Alright, I am leaving the rest of the troops under your command. Remember, try to draw as many of them out as possible."

"Gotcha Cliff-mesiter."

"Fayt, you ready?" Cliff asked.

"You bet."

"Alright guys strap in," Cliff said to everyone in the tank with him. They had clambered into a new tank. "Kian fire now!"

"Copy, artillery, began bombardment!" The heavy artillery had been positioned in front of the main gate of the Federal Square. The numerous bursts of blue light collided with the primary forcefield. But the second bombardment brought the shield down. Then the third round leveled the gate.

Suddenly a quick burst of blue was seen dashing into the complex, it was Fayt. His eyes were glowing furiously blue, he looked like the incarnation of the devil. He possessed a blue aura about him and he had his two swords burning blue. He dashed toward the bevy of tanks, cannons, and soldiers and began to tear them apart.

He slashed wildly around him, while remaining unscathed. He deflected bursts of energy by slapping them away with his blades. Soldiers couldn't even touch him because anything within 5 feet of him was instantly cut up or disintegrated.

Soon the rest of their forces joined up and it was the bloodiest land struggle the SD age had ever seen. Enemy tanks collided with the allied forces'. They savagely attempted to outmaneuver and outshoot each other.

Then soldiers on the battlefield were at each other's throats. Their clips didn't last long and soon reverted to clubbing each other with their guns. Stray blasts or missiles caught the groups of unsuspecting soldiers. The piles of dead soldiers on the battlefield began to pile up.

"Damn it, this fight is bloody!" Cliff yelled, as he tried to lose a tank on his trail.

"Cliff we have to find Fayt, he is still probably surrounded!" Nel yelled.

"I know, I know! But this battle is crazy. Wait there he is! Up ahead!"

"Alright, Cliff stay in here and support us, we're gonna get him out of there!" Nel yelled. Nel, Albel, Peppita, Ophelia, Adray, Kakashi's people, and the Expellians scrambled out and carefully ran over to Fayt.

Albel snarled like a demon and ran through the crowd of enemies viciously slashing from left to right. Nel joined him and they were soon back to back, spectacularly supporting each other.

Albel rushed forward taking out the soldiers. He jostled from left to right, constantly moving, if he stopped he would surely be shot. He dropped his left shoulder, and the enemy flinched long enough for Albel to stab him through the shoulder. He leapt at the next soldier in front of him and landed on top of his chest. Albel viciously tore through the soldier's chestplate with his claw.

Nel supported him by taking out the soldiers that tried to him in the back. She threw her daggers at a soldier to stop him from shooting. Then he jumped on his back, took out the daggers and snapped his neck. She jumped to the floor and began to sweep the next soldier. Adray soon joined the fray and tackled everything in sight

The Konoha ninjas had produced shadow clones and were keeping the enemies at bay. "Albel we gotta get to Fayt!" Nel yelled.

Just as she said that 5 soldiers in front of her were disintegrated by blue energy, she saw Fayt running towards them "Guys! Where is Cliff with the tank, we gotta move towards the objective!" he yelled.

Right on cue the huge golden tank came thundering from their left and ran over the soldiers in its way. The side door opened up and they clambered onto the tank quickly.

"Thanks Cliff," Fayt gasped as he lay on the floor, attempting to catch his breath.

"No sweat."

"Man this fight is crazy. The only real way to win is to end this once and for all, isn't it?" Fayt asked.

"Yeah, look don't worry too much, we know that you are up for it. Alright girls and boys we are 5 km from our objectives," Cliff said.

"Guys," Fayt said, standing up. "So I know that this is probably the worst time for an inspirational speech, as we are smack dab in the middle of fighting. But, I'm happy that we are all here together now. You guys are real friends that people rarely have an opportunity to find so yeah. Whatever happens we are in this one together."

"Aww shit," Cliff moaned.

"What's-," Fayt wasn't able to finish his sentence. Once again a stray blast had caught their tank.

* * *

"Madam, three fighters on our tail," Dack's mechanical voice chimed inside the cockpit of Mirage's ship. Mirage was sweating beads, just attempting to evade the fighters, despite the very cool temperature on the inside of her ship.

"I know!!!" she yelled back furiously. She pulled into a barrel roll, dove left, right up, and down; but she just could not lose them. Marietta had pulled up behind her and cleared the fighters off her tail.

"Thanks Marietta, alright let's take that battleship down. Alright Steeg are you good?"

"Yes m'am."

"Alright increase speed. We're taking down the big one in the middle. Punch it!" At that moment they all rolled and begun their first attack run on the battleship's defense array.

"Madam, there are two cannon batteries located on either side of the battleship. If you destroy them, the fire from the auto-turrets will decrease significantly."

"Great. Steeg, Marietta, target the cannon on the one side, I'll take out the other one."

"Roger."

"Guys remember, don't get too close to the ship's surface cannons, they will tear you guys apart. If you have to, make a second pass."

"Copy Mirage, en-route to target now," Marietta replied. They broke formation and Mirage accelerated her ship's speed.

"Dack, increase speed so I may be able to avoid most of the blasts, while allocating for my reflexes to take the shot."

"Calibrating," the onboard computer automatically replied.

Mirage noticed a significant burst of speed, but it didn't hinder her ability to pilot the craft. She flew upwards, then once she had attained a particular height she turned the ship around. Her ship began to speed towards the cannon battery.

"Madam, my calculations indicate that if you use the steelhead missile at this velocity, it will be able to cause a great enough impact to destroy the battery in one pass."

"Alright Dack, I'll trust you, prepare the projectile."

"Ready at your desire," he replied.

"Right," she said. She inhaled and took in a deep breath. She steadied the controls of her ship and her eyes narrowed on the crosshairs of her ship and the objective. She armed the missile and fired it, exhaling as she did so.

"M'am, pull up, pull up!"

Mirage had become disoriented for a second, and then pulled up at the last second. She felt her ship lightly graze the side of the battleship.

"Damn, that's gonna leave a mark," Mirage said she looked over her shoulder quickly and watched the missile collide into the battery. There was an extremely loud 'boom' and a huge black hole of slag replaced the cannon battery.

"Steeg, Marietta, how are you guys doing there?"

"Objective completed, re-forming on your wing Mirage," Steeg tersely replied.

"Dack, quickly analyze the ship's structure, determine any underlying weaknesses in the overall structure of the ship."

"Yes, there is a structural weakness. In this general area, the infrastructure of the ship seems very weak. It may have been just lax manufacturing or there was a spillage of chemicals, but the fact is: a good bombardment of the area will cause a cave in, in that section of the ship."

"Gotcha. Hey Steeg, you ship is equipped with heavy bombs right?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I am going to send you the coordinates of an area which Dack has designated as a weak spot. I want you to bomb it."

"Wait madam, one cautionary piece of advice. The blast must come from a relatively low altitude, in respect to the battleship. This puts the flier in harm of being caught by the aftershock or subject to fire from the surface cannons."

"Alright, did you hear that Steeg? You're going to have to go in low but quick. We'll cover your ass, but you need to be careful. Are you still up for it?"

"No problem boss!" Steeg increased the speed he had been flying at and sped towards the vulnerable area. He expertly destroyed an approaching fighter. Then he deftly dodged an oncoming blast. "I've reached the point, releasing bombs now!" Steeg's ship unloaded all its proton bombs and they looked like eggs falling from a crate.

There was a huge blast and at first it seemed there was no effect. But as the blast cleared there was a big, satisfying hole smack dab in the middle of the ship's hull. The ship soon snapped into two as air was sucked out into the abyss of space and the ship could not hold its integrity.

However, the aftershock HAD caught Steeg's stabilizer. "Steeg are you ok? I think your ship's stabilizer was knocked out," Mirage said, concerned.

"No I'm fine."

"Steeg, return to the Diplo, that is an order."

"No, I'm fine! I'm not going to leave you guys now, you would be a man down in a three man squad."

"Fine, but if you become a burden to the squad, I'm going to order you to get back to the ship and then punish you with bathroom duty."

"Oh snap, bathroom duty!" he laughed over the line.

"Mirage! This is Captain Gordon! My ship's engine's have just been clipped by the Planetary Defense Gun!"

"Oh my god, alright Gordon evacuate your ship, you can't do anymore good. Also all fighter squadrons converge on Captain Gordon's ship to cover the fleeing escape pods."

"Dack, get me an open line with ground troop command."

"What do you want Mirage?" Kian yelled. The noise in the background was terrifying. There were massive explosions, blaster bolts, and men's screams and shouting.

"Where the heck is Fayt and his attack team? Tell them to take down that damn Planetary Defense Gun, it's tearing us apart here."

"Look we aren't having fun down here either! And I just saw Fayt's tank get attacked by a blast from one of them 10 Wise Men, we are trying to make contact with them ASAP, I'll call you back. Oh shit! I want suppressive fire on that god damn-," the line was soon cut ad Mirage focused back on the task at hand.

* * *

The Wise Man was slashing around like a wild man, he had a double sided spear that caused a heck of a lot of damage. He twirled it all around him like an over-sized baton. His style was crazy! He jumped from spot to spot, just stampeding through the enemies.

"Suppressive fire, Suppressive fire!" Kian yelled as he shot at the demonic foe , in vain.

The Wise Man leapt at Kian but the spear was stopped by something. Kian opened his eyes and saw Fayt in front of him, sword brandished, and stopping him from killing him.

"You okay Kian?" Fayt asked.

"Yeah, thanks pal," he replied whimpering. Fayt was able to overpower his enemy and pushed him off. He was about to pull out his other sword but Kakashi put a hand to the hilt of his sword.

"We'll take care of this, we haven't been able to assist you yet. And we were sent by the Hokage to help," Kakashi said coolly.

"Are, are you sure?" Fayt asked.

"Yes, go!" Fayt nodded and he gestured for them all to get going.

"You must think that you are pretty tough, if you think you can handle me," the Wise Man chuckled.

"We'll see. You must think you are tough as well, to question my strength in such an aggressive manner."

"We will see indeed, may I get your name my friend, I think it is necessary to get the name of the person I will be killing today."

"Why is that?"

"So then I will be able to carve your gravestone," he replied sweetly.

"Ah well my name is Kakashi, what is yours, if you do not mind."

"Decus. Well Kakashi, I'm going to have fun killing you and your friends." A huge ball and chain materialized in his arms and rushed toward them and began to swing it around, flailing it wildly. Decus had very little difficulty in wielding the ball and chain.

Kakashi had to dodge quickly. He quickly produced a shadow clone and used it as a dummy for him to be able to dig into the ground. Decus struck Kakashi's clone and had a triumphant look on his face, but it slowly disappeared when the clone popped in a cloud of smoke.

Soon Risa and Yamato had begun their attack. They were striking him with their swords, but Decus had thick armor on his arms and the swords just glanced off the armor.

Risa produced multiple shadow clones and they began to hack away at him. She needed to buy time for Yamato to prepare his attack. Yamato jumped back to prepare his attack, he quickly focused his chakra and produced the hand seals. He fired wooden spikes at Decus, the needles grew increasingly thicker and sharper. The wood shower distracted him for a second.

Then he conjured a massive wave, he told Risa to get cover, so she wouldn't get hit by the tidal wave. He hurled the huge wave at Decus and it rushed toward him. At that moment Kakashi burst from the ground and was riding the wave. His headband was raised and his Sharingan eye was burning red and black.

"Chidori!" he yelled as he produced the hand signs. His right hand was soon a crackling palm of chirping electric energy. Kakashi then produced a Rasengan in his opposite hand. In his left he had a swirling ball of chakra. Finally he focused his chakra and submerged both palms of energy in the wave.

As he pulled them out, the water was swirling in multiple rings around both of his palms. He jumped off the wave and let it hit Decus. "Take this!" Kakashi yelled as he slammed the Rasengan straight into Decus's chest. The impact sent Decus spiraling through the air, backwards.

Kakashi increased his speed for the Chidori. As he dashed towards him he was about to strike Decus's chest, but he decided to go for his right leg instead. Kakashi's hand penetrated through the armor, and his hand was a bloody mess protruding through the other side of his thigh. His hand was still crackling and he quickly pulled out his hand and released the energy.

Decus landed in a crippled mess about 30 yards away from Kakashi. Kakashi was panting hard and Risa and Yamato ran over to him, to support the Copy Ninja.

`"Damn, that took a lot of chakra."

"Senpai, why didn't you go for his chest with the Chirdori, like you did with the Rasengan? You could've taken out his heart."

"Because I knew I couldn't. I have taken into account the battles Fayt and his friends have gone through with these beings. I had a feeling, he would still be able to live even if I had punctured his heart. Then I would have been in a perfect position for him to kill me. My Sharingan eyes show me that he does have a heart that pumps his blood, but even if it stopped working, he would be able to sustain life for a significant amount of time. So instead, I crippled him. He will be a lot slower and easier for us to hit."

"Good thinking," Risa said. But at that moment they heard Decus laughing on his back and he soon got up.

"Hehe, you haven't won yet!" he yelled. He grabbed something from a leather pouch on his leg. He pulled out a small bright red sphere. "See this? This is Ferenine, it is a new drug that has been produced. It is supposed to be unsafe, but of course it is unsafe for humans. I am not human, and therefore have no need to fear these side effects."

"It must be some kind of soldier pill," Yamato muttered under his breath. Decus continued to laugh maniacally and finally popped the pill in his mouth and swallowed it. At first there was no effect and there was an eerie calm, but Decus's arms doubled in size, and caused his armor to pop off. His entire body was pumped up and there was a certain aura of energy radiating from him.

"Holy…his energy levels have tripled," Kakashi said. Risa clenched her teeth and Yamato looked on with an apprehensive look on his face. "Oh no…his energy levels are still rising. Yamato contain him!!!" he yelled at him.

Yamato nodded and clenched his palms together to produce his Wooden Style Jutsu. Huge pillars of wood burst out of the ground around Decus and then converged together to form an enclosed dome around him. Just as they thought it was under control, the wooden dome exploded, fire erupting from inside of it.

"Holy Shit, this guy is drugged up!" Kakashi yelled. Something suddenly shot towards them like a rocket from the explosion. It was Decus. He flew straight into Kakashi and crashed him into a building. He began to unleash everything he had on Kakashi. He punched, kicked, slashed, and did everything to him. He madly punched Kakshi's face, stomach, everything! Kakashi was unconscious after about 2 minutes of the pummeling.

Risa ran towards Decus and gave him a good kick which sent him flying into the wall. Risa took a quick look at Kakashi. His face was a bloody mess, he numerous cuts and bruises. He was also bleeding through his shirt and was down and out. "BAD MOVE!" Decus roared. He exploded from the wall he was thrown against and ran at Risa, full sprint.

Risa conjured a couple of hand signs, "Fire Style, Fire Dragon!" a thick column of fire was thrown at Decus, in the form of a dragon. The fire momentarily stopped him and burned him a bit. He took a big breath of air then he blew out the fire, and then he continued his rampage. He conjured a huge sword out of nowhere and ran at Risa again.

He was running so fast that Risa did not have time to dodge, so she raised her sword out in front of her in vain. Decus smacked the sword out of the way, with the flat of his blade, and then he ran it through Risa's chest. She grabbed Decus's arm but didn't have the strength to push him back. Risa coughed out blood and fell limp to the floor. Decus pulled out his sword, laughing maniacally.

"Risa! NO!!!" Yamato yelled. Huge roots, as thick and long as jumbo jets rose from the ground struck at Decus. Decus was smacked around by the huge branches until he released a large burst of energy from his body. The blasts singed the huge roots and they were burned to a crisp.

Decus flew at Yamato, and released a flurry of blows. Yamato quickly blocked him using the terrain to his advantage. He bended both earth and wood to act as barriers to block Decus's strikes. Yamato conjured a thick block of wood to block the hit and Decus got his sword stuck in the block as he struck it.

Yamato quickly produced wooden roots at Decus's feet to entangle him. The roots pulled him off his feet and he landed with a large 'thud' on the ground. Then he re-shaped the wooden block into a huge wooden stake and thrust it straight into Decus's chest.

Decus cried out with pain as it penetrated his armor then his skin, but had been able to stop the stake from going all the way through. Yamato continued to attempt to push the stake through Decus's chest. But Decus's strength was too great and Yamato was being pushed back.

Decus was able to break free of the roots constraining him and then kicked Yamato in the groin. Yamato let out a short grunt and then was on the ground writhing in pain, from the initial strike and the…'aftershock'.

Decus rose his sword high over his head and was about to kill Yamato when he suddenly fell to the ground, clutching his heart. Yamato looked over to Risa who was propped up against the wall also gripping her heart and smiling at Decus.

"Yeah that's right. I connected our hearts with a chakra thread when you came in for that final blow." Yamato remembered that she had grabbed his wrist at the last second. "The wire runs through you arm's blood vessels into your aorta, your major blood vessel, which then leads to your heart. I can kill you as I speak by allowing my chakra to flow into your body, it would disrupt you blood flow, blood pressure, and heart rate. It would be instant death."

"You're, you're bluffing!" Decus cried, as he cried in further pain, clutching his heart.

"No. I'm not, but sadly I'll pass into the abyss as well. That's the price you pay with this jutsu. Yamato, take care of Kakashi for me," she said with a tragic smile. She suddenly hardened her face and took a deep breath. She took one last wave goodbye at Yamato. Decus was yelling in the background, he was attempting to get up, but could not. She took her sword and then thrust it into her heart. She had a devilish smile on her face as she lay there, dead.

Decus's yelling soon stopped and Yamato walked over to Kakashi and picked him up. Kakashi lay in a bloody mess, but he had a steady pulse. He turned and looked at Risa, with a long sword protruding from her chest. She still had the happy smile on her face as her eyes stared blankly into the distance.

He sadly trotted over to his companion. He got down on one knee and said a short prayer then closed her eyelids. He looked at her for a second, then remembered that a fierce battle was still raging behind him.

* * *

"Cliff! We have to take out that turret!" Fayt yelled. He was hiding in a Guard House leading to the Federal Square.

"I know! I know!!" he yelled back._ Let's see, distance to turret…about 100 yards, I can clear that distance in two minutes. I'm just gonna need them to keep those guys off my back­_. "Fayt! Wait for the next reload! When he does I need you all to cover my ass, I can get to that turret in two minutes."

"You sure? It's a long run!"

"Just trust me, alright, he should be reloading soon, ready? 1,2, 3, go, go, go!"

Cliff quickly darted from his hiding place and ran quick as lightning across the battlefield. Three soldiers barred his way and were preparing to shoot, but they were smitten by two lightning bolts thrown by Fayt. Cliff quickened his pace and was halfway there. The others were doing enough to draw attention away from him.

When he was about 10 yards away, the turret was done reloading. It fired a few rounds at Cliff. Cliff rose his hands, poured chakra into his gauntlets, and was able to deflect the blasts. He felt the fatigue on his body as the energy required to deflect the blasts was used.

He stumbled a bit as he started to jump, due to his fatigue but was able to jump high enough to avoid the next blasts from the turret. He landed on top of the turret and unclipped a few bombs from his belt and latched them onto the gun.

He jumped off and landed catlike on the ground as he heard a satisfying 'boom', signifying the destruction of the turret. It allowed the rest of them catch up to Cliff, at the entrance to the Federal Square. The path branched off into three directions, the individual paths led them separate ways to the Federal Tower, Prison Cube, and the Planetary Defense Building.

"Alright, we've cleared most of the resistance in the area, the rest of our troops are on the way to occupy the area. All that's left…is the hard part," Fayt summarized.

"Hey kid, don't worry," Cliff said enthusiastically. "Alright. Fayt; Albel and I will accompany you to the Federal Tower, we'll also take a few of the Expellians. Nel and Adray will take a group into the Defense Building. Peppita and Ophelia will take the Prison Cube."

They were all quiet for a second until Fayt broke the silence again. "Look guys, we don't need another inspiring speech. We all know that we have a job to do, so let's do it. It is as simple as that. The fate of the universe rests in our hands and its up to us to follow through. And if we fail, we'll take as many as we can with us."

"Well said Fayt, let's kick some ass!" Cliff yelled. Everyone agreed and they broke off, and took their respective paths.

* * *

"Admiral Mirage! We've lost 50% of our heavy battleships!" someone from the Diplo's bridge exclaimed.

"God…how the heck are we being pushed around by just a handful of those Nedian craft? Alright, this is the last move we have. All ships engage the main body of the Nedian fleet."

"Admiral, all ships?" a captain of one of the battleships rang in.

"Yes, yes, all gunships, flagships, battleships, light cruisers, fighters, everyone. I'll lead the attack on their last flagship, personally."

"Admiral Koas, that's a bold move, are you sure?" Wifra asked.

"I have a feeling Fayt's team will follow through for us, I trust them."

"They haven't succeeded yet, who's to say they'll follow through anytime soon?"

"We have to trust them, they are our only hope! If we can't trust our comrades we are all dead! The moment we lose faith in each other we doom ourselves to failure! Just believe in each other and we cannot lose, alright all wings attack!!"

Mirage increased the speed of her ship again and was at the head of the attack, with the rest of the fleet behind her. The second the Nedians realized that they had chosen to attack them head on, Mirage was soon greeted by numerous fighters.

Mirage was an expert pilot with an onboard AI to guide her, the Nedian pilots were no match for her. Two Nedian fighters had locked onto her and she literally began to fly circles around them. She drastically reduced her speed to drop back right behind them. She unleashed her blaster fire on the unfortunate fools and she flew straight through the resulting explosions. Steeg and Marietta re-formed on her wing once she had disposed of the fighters and they were approaching the last major Nedian flagship. They had already destroyed the 'mothership' and this was the last one.

They had to enter the ship's surface superstructure to avoid the majority of the gunfire. "Dack, home in on the greatest power source, it should be the command deck of this thing. Once you locate it, send the coordinates to the other pilots."

"Copy."

"Alright guys watch out and be careful, we're gonna run out of space real quick." The superstructure of the ship was a large framework of unfinished wire structures, it was meant to increase the shielding capability and integrity of the ship.

"Madam Koas, 5 fighters have locked on to our position," Dack said.

"Alright, we're so close to the command bridge…" Mirage whispered. "Alright guys increase speed, we won't let them get to us."

"Mirage we can't increase our speed anymore, it will be unsafe to pilot through this superstructure!" Steeg yelled.

"If you can't handle it then get outta here, we have to take risks in this situation!" Mirage yelled.

"I-You are right I'm sorry, increasing speed m'am." Mirage felt sorry for raising her voice, but it was the truth. They sped through the superstructure, staying ahead of the ships trailing them, they soon saw the command bridge in view, but the fighters had also caught up to them. "Guys keep them off my tail! I'm going for the bridge!"

Steeg and Marietta had doubts and didn't think they could pull it off, the odds were stacked against them. But they knew they had to do it, there was no other option. So the two engaged the fighters as Mirage sped towards the bridge.

Mirage's ship was soon rocked by fire from the auto-turrets on the ship. Brilliant green laser fire pulsated towards her ship, some blasts grazed the ship while others made hard impacts.

"Madam, shields are at 20%," Dack said. Mirage gritted her teeth and was soon in firing range of the bridge. She could almost taste victory as she tightly gripped the controls of the ship and was about squeeze the trigger when her ship was rocked again by turret fire and she was thrown off course.

"Damn, I have to make a second pass!" Mirage cursed. She suddenly heard a scream over the line when she watched in horror as Marietta's ship blew up in a burst of flame.

"Marietta! NO!" Mirage and Steeg yelled over the line. Steeg was still engaging the fighters, but had lost concentration for a second, his engine was clipped by a laser blast and he had lost control of his ship.

"Steeg, NO!" Mirage screamed.

"Mirage, stick to the mission! Say good bye to everyone for me," he said sadly, he was able to gain control of his ship for a second and steered it towards the command bridge of the ship. Mirage watched as her friend crashed into the bridge kamikaze style, ending his life while destroying the Nedian craft in the process.

Mirage sobbed for a second but quickly realized she had to get clear of the exploding ship. She had exited the superstructure of the ship and saw the Diplo and other ships taking out another ship. She looked down at the Earth and closed her eyes; she had seen another green blast streaking towards their fleet.

_All that's left is the battle down there. We have done all we can up here, we're counting on you guys._ She opened her eyes and watched in horror as the Diplo was hit by the Planetary Defense Gun. A tear fell from her eyes and everything seemed hopeless as she sat in the cool and crisp cockpit of her ship.

* * *

"Nel! No!" Adray yelled as Nel faced line of troopers and she was thrown backwards by the multiple hits she received from their rifle fire. Adray used Symbology to produce a barrier and allowed him to pull Nel back to where their troops were positioned. He cast a healing spell over her and she soon regained consciousness.

"There has to be another way around! We can't get to the control room through this passage!"

"Hold on pull up the map Captain Pickard," Nel said to the commanding Expellian officer. "Hmm according to this map there is a ventilation system I can slip through, to get into the control room, it ends in a supply room, then I'll have to go down a security hallway to get into it, it goes around instead of taking this straight forward route."

"Sounds like a plan lil' miss. We'll stay here and draw their attention while you slip behind their defenses," Adray said.

"Right, it's all we've got. Now if we can just find that ventilation system," Nel said. Her eyes darted across the wall above her to her left. There was a vented panel which looked just right for her size. "Adray give me a boost."

Adray nodded and lifted Nel on his shoulders. She blasted the vent open and crawled inside. She crawled through the tight ventilation shaft and referred to the map when she could. The vent ended at a tight broom closet. She jumped out and landed quietly on the floor, stealth was going to be key.

She slowly opened the door a crack and peered out into the hallway. A guard passed right by the door as she had opened it. Luckily he had not heard nor seen the door open. She opened it, scrambled out and tiptoed right behind the guard. She slowly rose her hands to his neck and quickly snapped it. She caught him before he fell to the ground and stuffed him in the closet. According to the map she was supposed to go right. So she slowly went down the hall until she stumbled upon a powerbox on one side of the wall.

It was a fusebox for the level. She considered it for a second then blew the box and suddenly all the lights on the level blacked out. Nel was standing in a pitch black corridor, excellent conditions for someone like her. She quickly focused her chakra in her feet and climbed the walls.

She paused for a second, as if waiting for someone, and right on cue two men appeared down the hall with flashlights on. They were most likely engineers to check out the power failure. The two men searched the area, perhaps trying to find the culprit.

One of the men searched the ceiling and saw a shadow, which was Nel, real quick. He dismissed it and thought it was a figment of his imagination. But when he turned around his partner was on the ground, with his face smashed inwards. He frantically panicked trying to find the culprit, he turned around real quick. Then when he turned back to the fusebox he was face-to-face with Nel.

"Boo," she said, the man began to cry and whimper until Nel quickly ended his misery and slit his throat. Nel continued her quiet walk down the hall. She came to the door that the men had come through and put her hand on the knob. She knew there was either a trap or more troops on the other side of the door.

She climbed the wall again and hung on the ceiling. She focused her chakra and tried something she had never done before. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" She produced a clone, perfect in likeness to her. Her pseudo-self turned the knob and entered.

* * *

"That's one hell of a long set of stairs," Cliff said. After they had battled through 5 levels of enemies, it amounted to a long and spiraling set of stairs that led to the higher levels. A tall statue of some wicked looking man had been erected in the center of the spiraling stairs. It was obvious that it had not been completely finished yet.

The face was missing canvas to cover the wire structure inside. And the man had only one horn, and there was a second uncompleted stub, where the second horn was supposed to be.

They would have used the elevator but Albel had destroyed the elevator mechanics room in one of his mad rages.

"Albel HAD to break the elevator…" Fayt said gloomily.

"Yeah, by the time we get up to those Wise Men, we won't have any more energy to even fight!" Cliff said sarcastically. Albel said nothing, and so began their long and 'heroic' walk to the final 'showdown'.

About halfway up the stairs they noticed something was walking down the stairs, a dark figure another 20 yards up the staircase. They stopped where they were and waited for the man to get closer, to get a better look at him. They soon saw he wore golden robes and seemed like he was in a high position of some sorts.

Fayt thought it might have been Indalecio, but he knew Indalecio had red hair. This man looked quite young and didn't have the commanding, intimidating, and mysterious presence that the Wise Men each had.

Something definitely seemed off when he had come very close and they could see his face. His face was completely emotionless, and his eyes stared very blankly. He didn't blink at all, which was very pecuiliar. He approached them and didn't so much as sneer or even give them an arrogant look.

He took another 10 steps towards them and was 10 feet away from them. His mouth opened and the voice seemed very much not his. "Hello, I've been expecting you. You are no doubt Mr. Fayt Leingod, the man my favorite prisoner has been calling out for. She said that he would rescue her or something to that effect."

"Maria! What have you done to her you monster! I swear I'm gonna chop off your balls, then shove them up your ass!" Fayt roared.

"Ahem-cute. Unfortunately this man is nearly my vessel. He is my recently deposed king. So, if you wish to what was that-shove my balls up my ass-then you will have to try and get past him first. Oh and watch out for the stairs, tootles!"

The man in front of them remained unemotional, and the three attempted to decipher the weird message they had been given. Suddenly there was a loud explosion on the stairs and it immediately began to shake and rumble. The three had lost their footing and had fallen off the high staircase; they were falling to the ground.

The man, King Nede had sprouted white wings and was gracefully dodging the falling debris. Fayt gritted his teeth and looked angrily at King Nede and focused his ethereal chakra in his hands and feet and was able to suspend himself in air. He quickly flew over to catch Albel and Cliff.

He landed on the ground and they all looked up at him. Cliff put a hand on Fayt's shoulder. "Look pal, I know this might look like one of those stereotypical storylines where the hero has to end up fighting the bad guy alone..but. You need to get up there and save Maria pronto. Let Albel and I take this guy, it'll be no sweat. But we have to end this fight quick. I have a feeling out buds in space aren't faring to well and our troops outside can't hold out forever. So we have to cut the head of the enemy to take 'em down, once and for all."

"But-," Fayt protested.

"Look the maggot is right," Albel said, he had an arrogant smirk on his face. "This joker will be no match for us, so get outta here."

"Th-Thanks guys." Fayt's eyes shined bright blue and blue ethereal wings sprouted from his back. His eyes were burning with determination and shot upwards, he was a blue rocket speeding towards the top level.

King Nede looked like he was about to stop him, but Fayt just tackled into him and caused him to fall to the ground. Fayt smiled quickly and reached the top level. He looked at the brown colored door. He took a deep breath and entered the door.

Downstairs, Albel and Cliff looked at King Nede mischievously. "Hehe, looks like Fayt broke someone's wings," Cliff said with a smile as he cracked his knuckles. King Nede got up and hissed at them.

The two broke out laughing hysterically. Albel began to mock him, "Look at me, I'm the big bad King Nede, I will hiss you to death!!!!!!!!!!!!" he teased. Cliff couldn't take it and was dying of laughter on the floor. He was holding his gut, but they both stopped laughing when King Nede suddenly roared a breath of fire.

"Aw shiit," the two said in unison.

* * *

"Good work Peppita," Ophelia said. They had successfully liberated the Prison Cube. As they were looking at the list of inmates her eyes crossed over 'Sophia Esteed'.

"Oh my gosh! Ophelia, my friend is being held captive here!"

"Oh which cell is it?"

"A…A6!"

"Alright, get the key card and let's open it!"

"Right, Let's go!" They dashed down the corridor they passed block D,C, B, then they finally reached block A. They reached the block and Sophia was inside the block.

"Sophia!!" Peppita yelled. She was jubilant to see her friend who was asleep. Ophelia opened the door with the keycard then they entered the cell. Peppita moved to wake her up but her hand slid through her. It was a projection. The projection disappeared and there was a ticking bomb instead.

There was a clock counting down, 5…4…3. "It's a trap let's go!" Ophelia yelled. Peppita cried out as the bomb's timer stopped. As they were running out the cell the bomb exploded and the blast hurled them 20 yards away. Their soldiers began to yell and ran over to them trying to wake them up.

* * *

To be Continued...


	20. Chapter 19: The Divine Bow of God

**A/N: Um just read it, the torture is almost over**

Disclaimer: I own nada

**

* * *

Chapter 19: The Divine Bow of God**

Nel's clone passed through the mysterious doorway and when she walked in she saw a plain hallway. Nothing dangerous or out of the ordinary, according to her map, the control room was just down the hall to the left. As she took a second step, she suddenly noticed a lone figure at the end of the hall.

His eyes flashed brightly and she suddenly found herself in a white room. Wherever she looked it was only white. She seemed to be in an infinite plain of nothingness, she tried running in one direction and but the space she ran to, didn't get any closer.

It was a strange area, it seemed movements were relative and whatever she did, it didn't seem to matter at all in the area. She suddenly saw the figure she had seen earlier, out of the corner of her eye.

She regarded the man first. His mouth was covered by a piece of cloth and only his eyes and nose were visible. Two scars ran across each of his eyes which were acid green. His head was bald and he had a katana sheathed in a scabbard on his belt.

"Wh-Who are you?" Nel asked. She couldn't tell if the man had smiled or if he had even reacted to her. She soon got frustrated at his passiveness and she repeated her question, "Who are you!"

The man didn't move and in an instant he was suddenly right next to her. She attempted to move but she noticed she was suddenly laying flat on her back, with her hands and feet bound to the ground.

_Th-This is a genjutsu! Oh man how am I going to get out of this?_ Her heart began to race as the man unsheathed his katana and raised it menacingly. He rose it above his head then he stabbed Nel in the abdomen. She thought she was going to die but she didn't, she only felt the excruciating pain one feels from getting stabbed.

The man stabbed, again, and again, and again. He didn't falter and continued to stab her with the katana. Finally, the man spoke. "You are going to wish that each successive stab will be the one to kill you. But no, I am not going to give you that satisfaction."

Nel gritted her teeth, she refused to give in to her torturer and give him the satisfaction of seeing her feel the pain. Nel remembered the short lecture Kakashi had give her on releasing a genjutsu. She also remembered the way one of her teachers had once taught her.

At this moment, Kakashi's method wouldn't work. She could barely concentrate her chakra at the moment. But she was able to keep a mental sanctity. She had trained her mind to resist being bendable or easily manipulated. She wondered if her assassin had even once thought of training his mind.

She focused on her mind, ignoring the excruciating pain that her body was receiving. She gathered her conscious, then tried to sense the mind of her attacker. She threw all the weight of her entire mental body against his, and immediately gained access. She felt as if she had broken down a poorly constructed brick wall. The attacker staggered back as he tried to get rid of Nel's conscious in his mind.

Nel suddenly felt herself thrown out and she was returned to her body. But in the process, he had to release the genjutsu and Nel felt herself get released from the illusion attack.

Nel awoke and found herself back in the hallway with the man in front of him. He had stumbled and fell on the floor, with a hand raised to his head. He quickly recovered and he glared at Nel.

"Hmm, good job, but genjutsu isn't my only weapon in my deadly arsenal," he said. He unsheathed his katana and began to glow electric blue. The air around his blade hummed as he moved it around.

Nel unsheathed her daggers and she took a few steps toward him. The man neither flinched nor bucked at her. He remained static and rooted to the spot. He gave her a steely glare and Nel was amazed at how composed he remained

She made the first move and leapt at him, she struck with short and quick jabs with her daggers. The man quickly whipped his katana to block her strikes. Nel smiled, she was only testing the man's capacity at first. She increased the speed of her movements.

She threw in quick feints, that caught the man off balance. Her dagger work only increased in speed and skill. She threw quick strikes at his neck then attempted to sweep him as she threw herself to the floor and spun her leg, trying to hook his leg. The man jumped back and examined her.

"Impressive, our kind is a dying breed. Few people practice the ninja arts these days," he said, almost in a hiss.

"Curious. Where I come from, you would only be classified as an amateur shinobi. Your genjutsu was impressive, I'll give you that, but your swordsmanship is poor. My father had better form than you," Nel sneered.

"Why you!" He put on a burst of speed, using his chakra to move quicker. Nel smiled. _Gotcha._

"Mirror Slice!" she yelled as she jumped up high then timed it so that her daggers collided with his skull perfectly. The man let out a loud shriek of pain and fell to the floor, instantly dead. Nel's daggers protruded from his skull lazily. She smiled grimly and pulled them out of his skull.

She swatted the blood off her blades and sheathed them. She continued down the hall, making her way down to the door ahead. Suddenly she felt something hard penetrate her back. She let out a short moan but quickly turned around and saw the man was up on his feet again.

His head was badly disfigured from the strike but he was still alive! "Haha I told you I have more weapons in my arsenal!!!" He began to trot towards her slowly and was laughing maniacally.

Nel cast multiple symbological spells and threw them at her zombie-like foe. He just continued to laugh as the spells hit him hard and was thrown on the floor. He just picked himself up and continued to walk towards her.

His left arm stretched out like a rubber band and he hit Nel high into the air. _Arghh, what the heck is this thing?_ She attempted to recover in the air but she was hit again by the opposite hand of her enemy.

His left hand molded into a lance-like weapon and he thrust it at Nel. Nel didn't have time to fully dodge the attack and the lance grazed her side and it produced a decent sized gash on her flank.

_I'm gonna have to go for his head._ She let out a loud battlecry and ran at her enemy. His long rubbery arms began to move to hit Nel again. She cast an ice spell and shot it at his arms, it froze them which gave her the opportunity to go for his head.

"NOOOO!!!" he yelled as he desperately tried to get his hands to thaw out of the ice on his arms. In one swift strike she cut his head straight off. His head slid off and fell to the floor.

Nel kicked the man's dead body. "Useless fucktard," she muttered. She made her way down the hall and passed through the doorway into the control room.

* * *

"Albel you ready to take this clown?"

"Heck yeah, this fool won't even know what hit him." Albel stormed in first, he brandished his katana with the ANBU sword sheathed in a second scabbard on his back. He had to quickly roll to dodge a burst of fire Nede released from his mouth.

"Careful Albel! This guy is packing heat!"

"I see that you fool! Why don't you haul your fat ass and help me out here!" Albel yelled furiously. He had to move quickly again to dodge a second burst of fire. Albel yelled at him again to help him out.

"Alright, Alright!" Cliff dashed forward and powered up his gauntlets. Nede unleashed a breath of fire. Cliff rose his hands to cover his face and body and safely ran through the fire. He strongly moved his arms to shut his mouth tightly. He lowered his hands and had a patriotic smirk on his face. He pumped his hands and gave Nede a good uppercut to the chin.

It sent him flying upwards, and he attempted to wiggle his damaged wings in vain. He ended up in a crumpled heap on the floor when he landed from the fall. Cliff and Albel looked on triumphantly, but Nede was soon on his feet again. He pulled a little remote out of a side pocket and began to laugh mischievously.

He slammed the button on the remote and multiple doors along the wall around them began to open up. Hundreds of soldiers began to pour out of the doors and had Cliff and Albel surrounded.

"Shit," Cliff whispered. The soldiers rushed at them and released wave after wave of gunfire. It was impossible to dodge all of them despite Cliff and Albel's skill.

"Damn it, we gotta take the fight to those fools!"

"A-Agreed, grab my torso!"

"W-What?"

"Just grab it Albel!" Albel realized he had no choice, so he tightly grasped Cliff's body. Cliff jumped up so high that the enemy gunfire could not reach them. When he reached the climax of the flight of his jump he hurled himself towards the sea of soldiers.

Albel jumped off him and immediately brandished his two swords and viciously began to tear away at the enemy ranks. Seconds later, Cliff crashed into the sea of troops and into the floor and huge amounts of dust were swept into the air.

Cliff's crash into the ground created a huge crater which caused a few soldiers to be tossed into the air. Cliff emerged from the crater as the dust cleared, with a dead soldier twitching over his left shoulder. "Who's next?" Cliff asked menacingly.

Cliff threw himself into the fray again and began to punch and kick everything within 5 feet of him. The soldiers were no match for a man of his skill at that range. Cliff was on a crazy rampage up until he was stopped by the presence of someone familiar.

Albel had fought his way to Cliff and was standing right next to him. "I guess we're gonna have to fight together, huh fool?"

"Guess so," Cliff said with a soft grin on his face. After a second the soldiers rushed forward again. Albel sheathed a sword and took out his shotgun. He rushed forward and began to rip and tear everything in front of him.

With his katana, he stabbed a man in the groin then shot him dead in the chest with the shotgun. He spun around 180 degrees to his left and cut an approaching soldier's head clean off with his katana. He spun around to his right and fired his shotgun at a soldier attempting to shoot him, in the kneecap. The soldier immediately buckled and fell over. Albel stuck his sword straight through the man's body, with an exposed back facing him.

Albel seemed to instinctively sense who was about to attack him, the number of dead bodies around him began to pile up. He cut an enemy's sword into two clean pieces then severed his body completely and saw a soldier approaching from the corner of his eye.

He rose his shotgun and squeezed the trigger, instead of a big loud 'boom', a weak little click was heard. "Shiiit," Albel whipered as he waited for his enemy to kill him.

Cliff suddenly jumped in from nowhere and flattened the soldier into the ground. He immediately got up on his feet and threw a backfist into the skull of an enemy approaching Albel. He spotted another soldier creeping up behind Albel and he leapt over him and kicked him with two feet straight in the face. As soon as they hit the ground Cliff punched the man twice in the skull to make sure he was dead.

Cliff returned back to Albel's side and they stood back to back, facing the multitude of enemies in front of them. "Damn man, how are we gonna take all these guys?" Cliff asked.

"We'll just kill all the fools!!!!" Albel yelled. Albel was about to charge forward again, but Cliff held him back.

"Wait, what the hell is that?" Cliff yelled as something began to fly toward them, it was Nede, his wings had been healed. He was flying towards them and then collided into the two of them. He flew them straight into the wall. He jumped back and then released a jet of hot fire at them, Cliff jumped in front of Albel and rose his fists to deflect the fire.

However, Nede didn't give, and only increased the intensity of his flame. Cliff gritted his teeth. "I can't keep it up, gah!" he cried out. The fire singed his forearms and he fell to the ground, grabbing the raw skin that had been exposed by the flames.

Albel took a quick look at Cliff and gritted his teeth. "I'm gonna tear your wings out this time, fool." Albel ran towards at Nede with his shotgun pointed menacingly at him. He released two rounds of fire at him, but the blasts were burned out by Nede's flame.

Albel stopped his advance and stood his ground, regarding the situation. He unsheathed the second sword and slung the shotgun over his shoulder once more and rushed toward Nede again. He threw one of his katanas like a javelin, straight at Nede's head. He breathed fire at it in an attempt to melt it, but Albel smiled. He focused his chakra into the katana and a green aura surrounded it. It passed through the fire unscathed and then shot through his mouth and stuck out the back of Nede's head.

The blade was sticking through his throat and was impeding his breathing. The blood began to clog his throat and it began to choke him. But Albel wasn't done yet, he dashed behind him and tightly grasped the part of his wings where they stemmed out of his back. He unsheathed his second katana and brutally hacked his wings off of him.

The white feathers became blood stained, then he rose his blade again and stabbed Nede in the back, but made sure he didn't hit the heart or any other vitals. He slowly walked to the front of Nede to look him in the face.

Nede's eyes were heavily dilated and he was spitting out every couple seconds or so. Albel grasped the hilt of his sword stuck in Nede's mouth and pulled it out. "You're dead you fool." Albel took one last look at him then slashed his head clean off.

* * *

Fayt burst through the huge doors that led to the upper levels of the Federal Tower. In front of him there was an abandoned security desk and an open elevator directly behind it.

"Looks like I was expected," Fayt whispered. He bravely stepped forward and walked past the security desk and into the elevator. The elevator was quite big and very spacious, it had room for at least 10 or maybe even 15 people. The walls were stainless steel and the doors slid very smoothly as the elevator closed.

Fayt felt very cold inside the elevator and his stomach was doing backflips. He had no idea what to expect. He felt the speed of the elevator begin to slow down, slowing its ascension. The elevator finally stopped and Fayt's heart began to beat faster as he waited for the elevator doors to slide open.

They slowly slid open and he cautiously stepped out. He was in a corridor, with paths to the left and right, and a door right in front of him. A small sign on the wall next to the door read 'Grand Suite'. Fayt couldn't help but feel that the powers that be were guiding him to go through it.

He walked up to the door and hesitated before pushing the door open. He slammed the door open and walked through it. He entered into a circular room with an upper level. Directly in front of him was a huge machine where there were two people that were hanging from it. As he got closer he suddenly realized that those two people were Maria and Sophia.

He ran to the machine and began pulling on the chains that bound them to the machine. He moved to pull out his sword but he saw something move from the corner of his eye. He spun around and saw a sinister looking man with red hair standing on the upper level of the room. Then on the lower level another man stood by the door.

"Lock the doors Cyril," the red-haired man said coldly.

"Yes sir, Lord Indalecio," he replied with a curt nod. Fayt turned his attention back onto the red-haired man, so this was Indalecio, the mastermind pulling all the strings.

"Mr. Leingod, it is quite the pleasure to finally meet in person."

"I'm sorry I can't say the feelings are mutual," he replied coolly.

"That's unfortunate. Anyways I see that you have been reunited with your friends."

Fayt remained silent, all he wanted to do was pound the crap out of the man in front of him.

"You know your friend Maria, she always said that you were going to come and save her. I told her I'd have you dead before you came, looks like she was right?" Indalecio smirked.

He was toying with Fayt now, just trying to press his buttons.

"She screamed so loud, just like the little bitch she is whenever I turned on my machine! It was so exhilarating to hear her writhe in pain like an ant! A creature that had to adhere to my judgement!"

Fayt had had enough and in a flash his ethereal wings appeared on his back and he was speeding towards Indalcio, with both swords brandished. Cyril jumped in the way and tackled him to the ground. But Fayt immediately blasted Cyril with a huge blast of energy.

Fayt had a blue aura about him and his eyes were burning hot white. He ran at Cyril with his two blades. Cyril attempted to block with his arms but Fayt was enraged. He cut Cyril's body into two pieces, which disinegrated upon touching Fayt's swords. Then he turned on Indalecio.

"Boy! Don't think you are the only one with symbological powers!" Indalecio's eyes grew red and they both dashed at each other. Ripples of energy pulsated from their heavy collision. Indalecio looked at Fayt then at Maria. "Wait! Kid, if you don't surrender yourself…I'll kill your friends!"

Fayt slowly calmed down, his eyes returned back to normal. "Alright, I'll do anything you want."

"Well I am happy that you are being more cooperative now," Indalecio said as his eyes dimmed as well.

Fayt allowed himself to be hooked up to the machine and felt a bit happier when Indalecio took Maria and Sophia off the machine. Indalecio smiled as he went to the console and turned on the machine.

Fayt gritted his teeth as some sort of energy coursed through his body, the pain wasn't enough to make him scream though. He looked to the left and saw a chamber that began to smoke. The pain soon dissipated and he saw a figure standing amidst the smoke of the chamber.

_What the, it looks like…_A man that looked exactly like Indalecio stepped out of the chamber, except his hair was black and his left eye was red. While the right eye was blue.

"Lucifer you look well," Indalecio said as he greeted the man called Lucifer.

"Indalecio…I need something to kill, now!" Lucifer yelled.

"Hmm, kill the blue-haired female," he said with a smile, as he pointed towards Maria.

"Perfect," Lucifer hissed.

Fayt yelled and began to thrash around, attempting to break out of his restraints. Then at that moment, something weird happened. He felt as if his body was being ripped apart into two different bodies. It was as if someone had ripped out his stomach and emptied its gruesome contents onto the floor.

Lucifer and Indalecio looked on and could only stand dumbfounded as the miraculous travesty transpired. Fayt's body glowed clear blue and split into two forms, the two bodies soon reverted back to a solid form and two figures stood in front of them.

On the left stood Fayt, normal as could be. On the left this figure that slightly resembled Fayt stood there. He had long blond hair and blue eyes, and he stood a foot taller than Fayt. He possessed a more muscular physique than Fayt, but they could have easily been brothers. He wore the same clothes as Fayt except while Fayt's clothing was black, his was all white.

Fayt still had his eyes closed, but he slowly opened them and looked around. He spotted Indalecio and Lucifer rooted to the spot, looking lucratively to his right. He turned apprehensively to see what had them so rooted on the spot.

He pivoted on his right foot and saw a man, no wait a teenager that looked like him, despite a few physical differences. The man looked at him and merely winked.

"The name's Ronyx," Ronyx said in an extremely cocky voice.

"Who the heck are you?" Fayt asked. Ronyx turned to him and merely shrugged.

"Well, I am you…a much cooler and awesome-er version of you, you called on your destruction gene for help."

"Wait I still don't get it."

"Well I am essentially your clone. Your alter ego, just as Indalecio has Lucifer, you have me."

Indalecio finally broke out of his trance. "Enough talk! Let's go!"

"Agreed!" Lucifer replied in a bloodthirsty tone. The two brandished identical axes and rushed at the two.

Ronyx smiled and a sword materialized in his hand. It was identical to Fayt's, but the blade was red. He easily blocked the two and pushed them back.

"Wow…" Fayt whispered. The two jumped back and began to brutally assault Ronyx. Ronyx beautifully defended agasint them, parrying each blow, reading their moves each time.

"You could help me!" Ronyx cried to Fayt.

"Erm, yeah!" Fayt yelled he jumped at Indalecio. He attempted to bash Indalecio's brains out, but he read the move too easily. He managed to lock Fayt and swept him off balance.

Indalecio rose his ax high above his head and heaved it downwards, using the weight of the ax to fall to the ground. Ronyx suddenly jumped in and gave him a good strong side kick.

"You ok Fayt?" Ronyx asked as he pulled him to his feet.

"Yeah, thanks!" Fayt yelled. Lucifer jumped at them like a madman and transformed his ax into a huge cannon. He began to fire huge bursts at them, and they had to scramble to dodge. Lucifer didn't stop there. He jumped up and the cannon turned into a deadly looking spear. He jumped over Fayt and was about to kill him, but Fayt blasted him with a quick burst of ethereal energy,

The blast sent Lucifer's smoking body across the room. Lucifer and Indalecio looked shell-shocked and glanced at each other from either corner of the room.

On one side of the room, where Maria was lying, she began to come to and groggily opened her eyes. Indalecio and Lucifer immediately jumped over to her. Indalecio got there first and held her by the throat.

"Surrender or I'll kill her!" he yelled. Ronyx and Fayt immediately stopped.

"I'm guessing she is important to us huh boss?" Ronyx asked.

"Yeah, you could say that," he replied sarcastically. But as they were about to move to rescue Maria, Lucifer continued to run over to Indalecio like the madman he was.

"KILL, KILL!!!!" he yelled and he thrusted the spear right through Maria and Maria choked out blood, as Indalecio let her go and she fell limply to the ground. Her eyes stared off idly into the distance as the last traces of life left her turquoise eyes.

"YOU DAMN IDIOT!!!" Indalecio fumed.

"ME KILL HERRR!!!!!" Lucifer roared. Lucifer began to beat on his chest like Tarzan, relishing in his triumph, but stopped as he noticed things in the room began to shake and objects in the room began to float. They turned around to see waves or energy emanating from Fayt.

Just as always his eyes were white blue, but this time real angel wings burst out of his back and a blue halo seemed to float over his head. He seemed very deadly, it was a beautiful sight to behold, but totally terrifying as well.

"Damn it he is losing control…Arghh, I have to remain under control to make sure he doesn't over do it…" Ronyx whispered. In a quick flash of speed Fayt rushed Lucifer and began to hit him as quick as lightning. Each strike was precise, each one targeting a vital organ.

Lucifer began to get bloodied, but it didn't seem to hinder him at all. Indalecio got angry and decided to get involved but was thrown backwards by a blast of energy from Ronyx. Ronyx playfully shook his finger at him.

Lucifer let out another howl of rage as Fayt's sword ripped through his flesh once more. Fayt was getting frustrated at the fact he could not kill his opponent. Nothing more would satisfy him then seeing his opponent fall to the ground with his sword sticking out of him.

Fayt jumped back and then forward and smacked Lucifer with the flat of his blade towards the other side of the wall. He charged his energy and the symbological symbol began to form on the ground as if some invisible artist was painting the lines with a very a large brush.

The huge blast of ethereal energy surged towards Lucifer. Indalecio sped towards his companion, quick as lightning. "Grab my hand you fool!!!" he bellowed at Lucifer. Lucifer grabbed Indalecio's hand and they began to spin until they looked like a spinning drill and drilled right through the blast.

Fayt gritted his teeth, as his anger grew; he let out a loud shout and increased the intensity of his blast. The blast began to push the two back and then completely shot them out of the room. The blast sent the two flying out the window and down in freefall towards the ground.

Fayt began to calm down and his angel wings all fell to the floor as his eyes dimmed and had to go down on one knee. Ronyx walked over and attempted to support him.

"You know that that wasn't enough to kill them right?" Ronyx asked sheepishly.

"Yeah….he was really pissing me off though, wait what the hell!!" Fayt yelled. The room began to shake and they looked up at the ceiling as it was suddenly ripped off by this huge being looking at them. It remotely resembled Indalecio, but the creature had green scales and the horns on his head were huge.

The creature was as tall as the building!! "Me kill you now!!" the monster roared in a deep and hulking voice.

"Shiitttt," the two muttered. Fayt's blue ethereal wings lit up and Ronyx's golden wings lit up as they flew up to engage their enemy. As they flew towards the colossal creature they were immediately swatted like flies by the creature's huge hands.

Fayt and Ronyx collided hard into the pavement on the street. They pushed the rubble off them and looked up at the gigantic creature in front of them.

"Fayt, I've got one move, I think it will work, I call it the Divine Bow of God," Ronyx said heroically.

"Wow really? That name is cute," he said sarcastically.

"No really though, essentially I am going to fire you at him."

"Sounds simple enough," Fayt replied.

"I'm going to need you to hold him off though," Ronyx said smugly.

"Great…" Fayt said, he jumped up and flied straight at Indalecio. He changed direction at the last second and began to fly cheekily around the giant's head.

Ronyx flew to about 100 feet in the air and his eyes began to glow golden. A vertical arc of symbological runes began to form in front of Ronyx. Then a thin golden thread that began at the top of the arc began to extend down toward the bottom end of the arc.

"Fayt! It's ready!" Ronyx yelled. Fayt nodded and dropped off and flew as quickly as possible towards Ronyx. Fayt positioned himself in the middle of the long arc of symbological runes.

Ronyx flew backwards and caused the golden thread to be 'pushed' backwards. He waited as Indalecio got closer, and then 'let go' and released the 'Divine Bow of God'" It catapulted Fayt towards Indalecio, who was running right at them.

Fayt surged towards the huge giant like a burning red rocket. As he got nearer and nearer to the beast runnng towards him, he released energy from alla round his body. He yelled loudly and bolted forwards until they collided and a huge explosion broke out. Fayt was thrown backwards and a flood images from the past three months hit him, from the time he left for vacation, the landing on Elicoor, Styx, Luther, the moonbase incident, all the way up until now. Fayt fell to the ground, bruised and battered, with blood running heavy from his head.

Fayt's eyes were slightly opened and he saw Ronyx walking towards him with Maria in his hands as he placed her on the ground. He pulled out the spear and touched his hand to her wound…and it simply disappeared.

Ronyx smiled cockily again and said, "We'll see each other again soon my friend…" His body began to disintegrate into golden threads that disappeared into the air.

Maria's body began to move and she opened her eyes and looked around confusedly. "Fayt! Fayt!" she yelled as she began to hit his body.

Then at that moment, Fayt Leingod the great protector and defender of peace, justice, and good blacked out, it had been an extremely long day.

* * *

Mirage looked on as she saw the _Diplo II _get struck by the green light and she felt as if the entire world had just ended. The great flagship did not collapse but it stopped moving and seemed totally immobile.

_This is it, its the end..._Mirage thought but suddenly she received an open line from the Diplo.

"Admiral Mirage, we've won! Its over! The Nedians have just formally surrendered! Their command has been defeated on the ground, we've won the battle!" one of the bridge officers exclaimed over the comm. line. The man began to ask her to reply but she just shut off her comm. line.

She sat back in her chair and tears of joy fell from her eyes, she took off the headset off her head and put it down on the dashboard. _Just when it seemed like our fate was to be doomed...Fayt pulled through for us in the end. Maybe, just maybe we've finally earned a break from all this madness...maybe we've cleared the storm and have finally found a calm spot to rest. Well anyways, this chapter is over...it has indeed been a long day...._

_

* * *

_So there we go, the good guys have won and everyone is happy, just a few chapters left to tie up some loose ends, stick with me guys!

R&R


	21. Chapter 20: End

A/N: So this is the last chapter, thanks so much to everyone who actually took the time to read this story, it was my first story and I hope to write more in the future so your comments are appreciated, and any suggestions to help me improve are wanted as well. So without further ado...

Disclaimer: I own nothinggggg!

* * *

**Chapter 20: End**

Federal City, January 2nd, 8:00 hours.

A huge tent was set up in the middle of the Federal Square, where thousands of medical workers, doctors, nurses, wounded soldiers, and even civilians were bustling about. In the center of the tent was where officers and higher ranked officials were being treated, and the foot soldiers and other wounded were treated in the surrounding units.

A small room read B34, and inside was a makeshift patient room, with a poor excuse for a bed was in the middle of the room. IV scanners and other medical information was displayed by various medical instruments. On the bed was a young looking girl who was badly injured. She had bandages on her skin where the very flesh was torn away.

The girl stared straight up at the ceiling with a peculiar stare, her mouth hung slightly ajar and her saliva began to build up on the edge of her lower lip, it began to drool down her mouth and onto her neck. A nurse walked in with three other figures, two tall blondes, male and female; and a red headed female. The nurse quickly checked the equipment, turned around and gave the three a short bow and left the room.

They looked at her for a while and then the red head began to break out into tears and had to lean against one of the flimsy rods of that made up the room.

"She was so young…" the red head cried.

"Damn it," the blonde male yelled, hot headedly.

"I…who the hell was with them!" the blonde female yelled.

"I dunno, but one of us should have been with them! We knew they were the least combat experienced members of the party…" the male yelled furiously.

"Cliff, shh, calm down, we musn't blame ourselves…" the blonde female yelled.

"Yeah I know but…Look Ophelia is dead, and Peppita is brain dead! They couldn't even identify Ophelia's body at first! Mirage! This is madness, Peppita was so young!"

"Yes it is tragic, but we must keep our heads together, the rest of the camp look to us for leadership! What will they think if they see their leaders breaking down like this!" Mirage yelled back.

Cliff merely turned away. "Look even Fayt is in a coma…and the doctors said he was totally fine…but for some reason he isn't waking up. And they have no idea what is wrong with him…pardon me if I am worried."

"I understand…anyways Maria and Albel are with him right? I really don't want to leave him alone right now, we don't know who we can trust yet in this camp. And for all we know a renegade Nedian could still kill him. And I don't want anyone to know that Fayt is in a coma."

"Yeah, I left him in good company, his mom dropped by, as I left the room."

They were silent for a while, but suddenly the nurse returned with a doctor and they had a grim look about their faces.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Tamada," the doctor shook their hands and gestured for them to take a seat.

"Are you people the immediate family?" he asked.

"No, but we have recently confirmed that Ms. Rosetti's family was tragically killed during the Nedian takeover, why?" Mirage replied.

"Well I am sorry but we have officially come to a decision, that being me and 5 other of my colleagues, that she is unfortunately…brain dead. The only thing keeping her alive right now are the life support systems. With that said, there are only two options." The doctor paused and from the look on his face, he had done this many times before. "We either take her off life support now or you can leave her like this in her vegetative state until technology advances."

They were silent, how could they decide the fate of their friend? "Hey pal, we don't live in the 21st century, years even before the Space Date. We should be able to modify brain cells or some shit like that!" Cliff roared.

The doctor seemed terrified and was about to open his mouth to rebuke Cliff's reply, but Mirage spoke instead. "No Cliff, he is right. When dealing with the human brain, it is nearly impossible to alter the cells so that they will still function normally. The only thing is giving her the brain of an AI, but that will only make her an android, a ghost of the person she once was."

"Well said, I am truly sorry for your loss, the nurse will handle whichever decision you choose to take." The doctor solemnly walked out the room, pushing the curtains away as he walked out.

"Cliff…we have to…we have to cut the life support…by the time we do find a way to help her…her body systems will have deteriorated, not to mention the effect it will have on her muscular system," Mirage said, in almost a whisper.

Cliff closed his eyes and slowly nodded. Nel sobbed a bit more and left the room, Mirage went after her. Then the nurse slowly turned her head to eye Cliff, who just nodded and looked away as the nurse moved to turn off the light support. Cliff clenched his teeth and punched his hand when he heard the IV machine flatline and Peppita was gone.

The nurse patted Cliff's shoulder, and left the room. Cliff took a quick glance over his shoulder and saw her neck had fallen limp and her drool had begun to soak the pillow. Cliff stormed out the room and couldn't take another look back.

* * *

Fayt awoke and was laying in a field of beautiful flowers. Purple, red, pink, blue, and violet flowers, of different breeds. He picked himself up and saw blonde haired man standing about 20 feet away.

"Ronyx!" Fayt called out to him. His pseudo-self turned around with a big smile on his face and walked over to him. The two stood awkwardly silent, facing each other.

"Well it took you long enough to wake up."

"Haha, well…hang on a second. Where the hell are we?"

"Well we are in between reality and the other side of things where they don't make sense."

"Umm ok…so am I dead?"

"No, I brought you here."

"For what purpose?"

"Just to have a chat I suppose, I mean we are practically brothers."

"Ok…I guess I do have a question, how come you have never appeared before? I have been angry loads of times before, how come you've never appeared before?"

"Well you could say that your gene evolved, or rather it mutated. Just as normal genes mutate. Your body sensed that you had been losing control of your powers multiple times. And even though the effect produced through your loss of control, it causes your body to deteriorate. So the gene created me to be able to regulate you, and help you control it."

"Ahh…that makes sense. So why did u really bring me here?"

"I just wanted to warn you. That…a time will come when you will have to let go of the ones you love."

"What? Of course I know that, there is no way of escaping death!"

"No I meant that…well you see. The gene slows the aging process, slightly…" his voice slightly trailed off at the end.

"Wait, specify what 'slightly' means," Fayt inquired, his voice was shaky.

"Well your aging process will come to a standstill when you are about 25 or 26 years old."

"And then when do I die?"

"Well….never…until you are killed."

Fayt couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wait, so let me get this straight…I am basically immortal?"

"Well yes."

Fayt gawked at Ronyx, and fumed at the fact that he was remaining so calm about it. "Ok so tell me this, if I get married to someone, will I remain young while they age and die."

"Yes. But I know who you have in mind and the same goes for her, Maria will not die until she is killed. Sophia as well, but I know you have no interest in her," he sneered.

"So we are like…gods?"

"Essentially yes, but don't let it get to her head. Oh and there is one more thing you should know about Maria's gene."

"Yes what is that?"

"Well you know that you have me, almost as an altar ego, you could call me. Well Maria…"

"Maria has…?" Fayt asked.

Ronyx brushed some perspiration off his forehead with a flick of his hand, then said. "Well she doesn't! Go figure?"

"Ronyx, you joke way too much. So how do I get out of here?"

"Just wake up, Oh wait here is a gift." Ronyx smiled. Ronyx unbelted his sword and tossed it at him. Fayt looked at him like a madman for a second then he suddenly disappeared from Ronyx's sight. "My man," Ronyx whispered under his breath. After a second, this blonde-haired female appeared next to Ronyx.

"Whoa Renna, where the hell did you come from?" he asked her. She strongly resembled Maria.

"You didn't tell him everything, did you?"

"Sorry babe, but you know you are a bit of a bitch at times," he smiled cutely then he bent over and planted a sweet kiss on her lips.

"You jerk," she said as she slapped him playfully on the cheek.

* * *

Fayt awoke in a small cramped room and looked around quickly. The lights were off, it was nighttime, it was very quiet, and one could slightly hear crickets in the distance. He felt some weight on his thigh and found it pecuiliar and looked down. He saw Maria with her head lying on the bed, her hair a mess.

He laughed and fell back on his pillow. He found it surreal that he had been fighting for so long, and finally he had caught a moment of peace. He heard footsteps outside the room and stood ready, should the need arise. The curtains ruffled and he saw Cliff's familiar face.

Cliff immediately smiled, "Fayt you're awake!" Cliff rushed over and gave him a crushing bear hug. "Oh my god I can't believe you're ok! You were in a coma and we thought the worse! Maria's heart nearly gave out, we've all been worried sick!"

"Cliff," Fayt gasped between breaths, "You're choking me…y-you doofus!"

"Oh sorry!" he let go instantly and took a seat next to Maria. Maria began to stir, definitely awoken by the ruckus Cliff had made.

She awoke groggily and looked from Cliff to Fayt, and her eyes slowly widened as she saw Fayt. She flung her arms around him and grasped him tightly.

"Maria…." Fayt whispered. Cliff whistled and slowly exited the room, not before winking to Fayt.

"I-I was so worried about you! The doctors said they didn't know what was wrong, and oh don't you ever scare me like that again!" she yelled as she smacked him on the shoulder.

Fayt just smiled, "I love you too," he said and leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. Maria smiled and just looked at him. He suddenly remembered his chat with Ronyx. "Right I forgot, we have to talk." Maria looked apprehensive, but Fayt eased her worries.

* * *

A dark haired woman, who was about middle-aged sat at a desk with a blonde Klausian, an Aldian, and a Vendeen officer stood in front of her desk.

"Madam President, they are calling for your resignation," Mirage blatantly stated.

"Yes, yes I know, and I have already considered my successor, and I believe she will be accepted by the Federation."

"Madam the Federation is gone, it no longer exists!" Mirage contested.

"The Federation exists as long as it has a leader and people that support it!" she roared in response. "In any case, Federation or no Federation, Earth needs a leader, and I believe that leader can be Ryoko Leingod." It was silent for a while and no one spoke up.

"Well frankly, that may be the wisest choice you have ever made as the President of the Pangalactic Federation. And although the choice must be approved by not only Earth but other leaders, I think she will be accepted."

"Good. I have already called a Grand Summit of all the former nations of the Federation. We will be meeting in 2 days time. And I believe that we should extend the invitation to the Aldians and Vendeeni, along with the other allied nations. And I must say you are correct, the Federation is no more. I got an idea from your friends Fayt Leingod and Miss. Traydor. I propose we shift our imperialistic policies to a more friendly, Galactic Republic, where planet systems will not be forced by any higher power."

"I see, a Galactic Republic, something along the lines of an alliance of nations, supporting one another, is this the vision you speak of?" Mirage asked.

"Yes, yes it is."

"And Fayt was the one that proposed the idea to you?"

"Yes, that man himself."

"Interesting, you will have to remind myself to commend his wisdom on the matter."

"He is quite a character, that Fayt."

"Yeah he is a great kid."

"So let's go ahead and bring him in," the President said. Mirage nodded and exited the door and returned a second later with Fayt walking in. He was still bandaged up and his left arm was in a sling. "Fayt, please sit down."

"What did you want Madam?" he asked.

"Fayt you did a great deed. You saved countless lives today, across the galaxy."

"Thank you m'am. Why did you want to talk to me? Besides that?"

"Well, as you probably realize I have been asked to step down as leader of Earth and the Federation is no more. So I am going to ask your mother to step up to the position."

"Well I am overjoyed at your decision, and I believe it is the right one, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Well I wanted to offer you a military position, believe me I am not trying to use you like last time. Some of the former Federation generals are already talking about approaching you about it. I just wanted to let you know before they start to beleaguer you. And I think you should strongly consider it. Your mother is going to need a strong leader to support her during her first years in office. And we are going to see some tough years ahead, with all that has happened to this galaxy."

"Madam, I already told you I don't want to be in a military position."

"Fayt you misunderstand me. I don't know if you recall our conversation before, but you spoke about a Galactic Republic, cohesively supporting one another, without having to pledge allegiance to anyone."

"Yes I remember our conversation," Fayt said.

"I really think we will need you as a fleet commander, not to just kill people senselessly or seem like a posterboy, but who knows what the new galactic order will face. We will need someone like you. Not just Earth, but all the systems that will eventually become a part of this government."

"Madam, I believe you are right. But please give me some time to think about it. It has been a nonstop whirlwind, this past year, and I want some time to rest for now. And not just for myself but for my friends as well, because I know they will follow me on whatever crazy venture I embark on next," Fayt said grinning.

"He is right you know, we would," Mirage said with a laugh.

"Of course, but that is the leadership I am talking about. You would be an inspiration to not just your friends but to other soldiers and people galaxy wide. It is a rare trait to possess, so I urge you to think about this carefully."

"But of course Madam President," Fayt said. He stood up and gave her a quick bow and exited the room. _General Fayt Leingod…_He liked the sound of that as he walked out of the room with a wry smile on his face.

* * *

Federal Conference Hall, Jan. 5th, 9:00 hours.

The Federal Conference hall was a huge domed building, it was right outside the Federal Square. Inside was a huge area, called the Grand Chamber, filled with floating platforms, along the walls. There was a different platform for each different star system. In the center of the platform there was a hologram projector that switched between the planets of the star system and the name of the system.

Thousands of Senators and other officials were piling into the Grand Chamber, the Chamber was essentially a closed top sports stadium, but at least twice as big. There were supposed to be an estimated representation of 20,000 star systems present. Which was only a quarter of the total amount of platforms available.

In the center of the Grand Chamber, there was a big platform where the Federation's president usually sat with his/her advisors. Today, the newly established "Defense Council" sat there. It was made up of representatives from Klaus, the Aldians, the Vendeeni, the Tetragenians, the Expellians, and Earth. All members of the Allied nations that defeated the Nedians.

More specifically, Mirage, Commander Gordon, Commander Wifra, Ophelia's father, King Elmond, and Ryoko Leingod sat in chairs, on the main platform. They were quietly conversing with one another, as they waited for the others to get settled into the Grand Chamber. On the "Earth" platform, Fayt and Maria sat there with two other generals and two other officers. Right next to them was the "Klaus" platform where Cliff sat with one of the new Quark members, with a few people from the Klausian government.

Then finally to their left was the new "Elicoor" platform. Nel and Albel sat there with this unknown warrior that they took to be from Greeton.

Maria looked at Fayt and studied his face for a moment. "Fayt are you going to accept the appointment?"

Fayt looked at her for a second, "I really don't know. It is for a good cause, and I definitely think my mother will need support during this time, and I also want to be able to protect her from any political issues she will face. But…I just don't feel right leading an army. Are you going to accept the appointment?"

"Hell if I know, it is for a good cause…but what about us?" she asked. She looked at him fiercely and attempted to detect any emotions his demeanor might give away.

"Look, I already told you, I love you, and I want to marry you, but I don't want to rush it just because of this, even if we accept the offer or not."

"Alright, I trust you, and I have faith in your word, than in anyone else's. We already know that Cliff accepted his appointment."

"Oh gosh don't even bring that up. He is the Senator of Klaus, and Commander of the 7th Fleet, his head is big enough!" Fayt snorted.

"And Nel and Albel are already on board to become Captains, under Cliff," Maria said shaking her head.

"So what are you saying? We should conform to them and accept our appointments as well? I don't want to be Grand General of this whole thing!" he growled.

"No I wasn't saying that at all! Gosh, you are so stubborn sometimes."

"So what are you saying?"

"I think it is a good cause. The government has changed, it is no longer an imperialistic body, but rather a Republic. A Galactic Republic, and I think it would be great to help your mother! If her enemies, not that she has any, knew she had you and me under her administration, no one would dare try anything."

"But that is exactly what I don't want! I don't want to be a figure to be feared, even if it is for my mother, and she has already told me that she understands my position."

"Look, relax, please? I wasn't trying to upset you, I was just voicing my opinion," Maria said cooly.

Fayt's hard aggressive face softened and realized he had begun to raise his voice. "Look I am sorry, you are right. I am sorry I rose my voice."

"Hey no worries, I just wanted to know how you felt about the issue," she replied. They were silent for a while then the lights in the room began to dim and it slowly got darker. "I think that we about to start." Fayt nodded and they focused towards the center platform.

Mirage stepped up to the main podium where there was a microphone connected to the sound system of the Chamber.

"Esteemed guests and colleagues, senators and chancellors, thank you for joining us today. We are here to discuss the state of the galaxy's security. After the attack of the Executioners and the Nedian threat, we have all been left in a state of vulnerability." Mirage paused but as she did, a platform floated out, the "Kaos" platform, to be specific.

Their representative was a young woman with dark brown hair. "Miss Koas, are you proposing another Pangalactic Federation? The system was a flawed farce, and a disgrace, we were part of the Federation for centuries, but we never ever benefited from the alliance!"

"Please hear us out! We have no wish to establish another Federation, we propose a Galactic Republic."

"A Republic! Who is to say that one of the members of this "Defense Council" doesn't abuse their position and make themselves a self-proclaimed dictator, which will cause the beginning of a new Galactic Empire!" the senator fumed.

"Look, this government has no power without its people. It is a limited form of government, that can only do what it is given by the members of its body! Alright, before we go any further, who else has any apprehension to forming this government!" Mirage yelled.

There was no motion at first, but the various platforms began to shift in movement and moved towards the main platform.

"Well is that so…" Mirage whispered. Fayt watched on as Mirage was being torn apart by their political peers. He stood up and began to operate the platform's controls. He moved it to the center of the Chamber, almost right next to the main platform.

"All of you just hear us out!" Fayt yelled. Everyone stopped arguing and they looked at Fayt. The people began to stare at him and whisper things.

"Look its that Leingod kid," he heard, aa well as other whispers.

"You all should open your minds and give us a chance. We are attempting to work for the greater good here! I understand your fears of getting into another alliance. But this isn't the Federation all over again. You aren't pledging your allegiance to anyone! The idea is to have a network of systems to support one another, and hopefully someday we will be able to establish galactic peace by having every single star system a part of this beautiful partnership! And if we should fail we will fail, but at least we tried. At first I wasn't sure I wanted to be a part of this…But this is history in the making! Don't you want to be able to say you were part of this great step? Maybe people will be able to look back and say yeah these people were true leaders because they weren't afraid to take a chance and see if it works out. I promise you, this government will not fall to corruption. I myself will protect the future of our Republic and …and..well I have nothing left to say, its your choice," he finished. The platform returned to its position and Fayt exited the Grand Chamber from there. Maria followed after him, and the chamber was silenced by Fayt's nerve.

At first no one spoke but Mirage began to clap, then another platform of people began to clap. Then the senator from Kaos herself began to clap and soon the entire Chamber burst into clapping and it slowly died down as Mirage beckoned for them to quiet down.

"Well I can't say anything to top what Fayt just said, this was his idea to begin with, and I was fool to attempt to describe his idea, no his vision. As he said the decision is yours and the voting to establish the government will commence in 2 hours, for now I call a break. Return in two hours to vote and we will go from there, thank you again for your time." The center platform lowered and then disappeared from a opening door in the ground.

The chambers moved back to their respective places and people began to exit the chamber, the lights turned back on and the Chamber was soon silent.

Mirage exited the Council Room and went to look for Fayt. He found Maria and Fayt on one of the outer balconies facing out towards the city. Fayt was hunched on the railing and Maria had her back resting against it. Mirage approached him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"That was quite a speech Fayt."

"Yeah well, I dunno, someone had to speak out," he said without turning to look at her. Maria shook her head and muttered something about him always being stubborn.

"Look whatever happens will happen, we won't lose anything if it doesn't go through. So why don't you two just join me for a nice lunch then we'll return to the chamber and wait for the verdict, agreed?"

Fayt got off the guardrail and stubbornly nodded but at that moment his stomach released a monstrous growl. The three began to break out in laughter and went somewhere to get some lunch.

* * *

2 hours later the meeting had commenced and there were still a few late stragglers who were still returning to their platforms. Fayt and Maria were among the late stragglers and hastily returned to their seats.

Mirage hesitated for a second then headed to the podium and turned on the microphone. "Alright, so we will continue our session from where we left off. In a minute a voting pad will appear on your touchscreens to either vote yes or no to support this new republic. If you say no then you don't have to join the republic, no questions asked. If you choose to support us, great, and even if you want to back out we will let you." She checked her watch and waited for the clock to hit exactly 2:00. "Let the voting begin."

On the "Earth" platform, a hologram projector switched to a projection that had 2 3d boxes floating in the air, one "yes" and one "no". The other Earth officials gestured for Fayt to step up and make the decision and he confidently streaked his hand through the "yes" box. He returned to his seat and watched as the rest of the summit members did the same.

Fayt exhaled and waited as the voting commenced. Maria put a hand on his thigh to calm him down and he tightly grasped it.

After about 5 minutes Mirage returned to the podium to reveal the results. "Well voting has come to a close and we have received the results, we will first reveal the votes, without saying which tally was for which count." In the middle of the Chamber huge projections of 3D images were displayed. The number 15,000 and 5,000 were shown. People gasped and wondered which count was for which decision.

"So as you can see, it is a unanimous decision that we are mostly undivided on the matter," she said as she was handed an envelope that had the final results. "So the number 15,000…is for supporting the bid to form a Galactic Republic!" she yelled as she read the last words. There were numerous raucous cheers all around the Grand Chamber and very few boos.

"Well thank you call for coming, and we all respect your individual decisions. This meeting is adjourned and will come together in 3 days time to come together and begin legislation and framing a constitution which our Republic will be built on."

Fayt and Maria were hugging each other furiously and Maria was actually crying.

"What's wrong?" Fayt asked her.

"I am just happy, I just never thought I'd live to see and be a part of something such as this!"

"You dork," Fayt said and gave her a kiss. People were cheering all around them and people began to climb over into the main platform to congratulate the Defense Council as well as the earth platform to congratulate Fayt.

Mirage made one last final announcement, "Let us all remember this day as a gigantic step for all races and planets galaxy wide! Let us all work together to become a prosperous and truthful alliance!"

People cheered again and the noise in the Grand Chamber seemed loud enough to blow the roof off.

* * *

Two hooded figures exited the Grand Chamber and walked out towards the balcony.

"The Sphere Company has lost total control of the Eternal Sphere."

"Yes, if they achieve this total peace, their progression to becoming full-sentient beings will be complete. Our experts are already confused as how we were able to manufacture an entirely parallel dimension, one that is as real as us."

"I heard that they tried just pulling the plug on the whole project, and nothing hapanned, the entire universe continued to, dare I say, "live" on."

"At any rate we will have to keep an eye on these developments. If it comes to it we will have to send the Executioners in again, and we'll have to use our governmental contacts."

"Yes, it is a pecuiliar situation indeed. What about that Leingod kid? He is extraordinary, we don't even have beings as him on our world. He is like one of the things that they regard as "supernatural" in their movies and videogames, its shocking, it really is."

"I suppose so, anyways I think Luther got what he deserved anyways." one figure said as he rummaged through his cloak for something. He pulled out a cube and then tossed it into the air. A blue rift appeared right in the middle of the air.

"I heard they sent him to some asylum."

"Oh he isn't dead?"

"No, no. That Leingod kid just did a number on him and he is so scared shitless now, that he doesn't even know what or who the hell he is." The two figures continued to laugh and hopped into the rift and it disappeared after 5 seconds.

* * *

"General Leingod, you wanted to speak with me?" a blue haired woman spoke.

"Mom, jeez come on! You don't have to be so formal!" Fayt cried.

"I know, I know so what did you want to talk about?"

"Well you see, I wanted to talk about my position. I think you remember the terms of my acceptance of the position," he said seriously.

"Yes I remember. Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I think I am too young to accept such responsibility and I think he has more experience to deal with this sort of thing."

"Well If you say so," Mrs. Leingod replied. She grabbed two files from the side, one was labeled "F. Leingod" the other said "C. Fittir". She shuffled a few papers around and shifted a few forms from one file to the other, stamped each paper twice with the official seals and placed them on the side again.

"Thanks mum," Fayt mumbled. He took a quick seat, and looked out the windows of her new office in the Federal Tower. "I see they've fixed the top floor that we tore up, hehe."

"Yes, good thing too, I was able to get them to change the interior and everything! The previous upholstery was ghastly!"

"Heh, well mom how goes being the leader of Earth, on the Defense Council of the strongest political governing body in the world?"

"Well we have just finished going over the major lawmaking, we just have to finalize the specific military parameters and other complex framework of the government. How about you? Have you asked Maria yet?'

"Erm, no. But I will get around to it."

"Well all will come to pass. Oh don't you have a ship to catch? I think its leaving soon."

"Oh shoot you're right, its about to leave! I lost track of time, here hand me Cliff's file!"

"Here you go, oh and good luck son, save the galaxy for me," she said with a smile.

Fayt grabbed the file quickly, winked at her, and stormed out the double doors of her office. Ryoko Leingod shook her head and pulled some papers from underneath her desk.

She grabbed another file lableled "CLASSIFIED" stamped in big red letters across the cover. She opened it and began to read it. _Damn, so the nations that opposed the Republic are trying to rally other countries, before we can get to them. They are currently rallying in the….Rylar System. Hmm, gah this whole thing is a pain. I'm sorry Fayt, but you will be forced into this war, that is just beyond the horizon. I know that this is exactly what you wanted to avoid…but it is inevitable that a new form of government will have to face this…_

She put the papers down and sighed and looked out the window and spotted the staging area of the starships. _Be careful son._

_

* * *

_Fayt piloted his hovercraft over to the military staging station quickly. He landed in the area between two large starships. The ship to his left was F, the on to his right was G, so he paced down the staging area down towards the other ships. He soon found lot A, and found the _Justice Avenger _that had been fully repaired right in front of him.

He saw Cliff right outside the boarding ramp, about to board the ship. "Hey Cliff, get your butt over here!" he yelled happily. Cliff turned around and smiled at him and ran over to him.

"Hey Fayt? How are you, what's up? Shouldn't you be in the Board Room, oh Grand General?" he mused.

"I don't know you tell me," Fayt said as he slapped the file he had taken from his mother, onto his chest. Cliff looked confused for a second then he took a look at the file. He skimmed the content for a second then gasped.

"Me…? Grand General…?" Cliff gawked, he just couldn't believe it. "But they offered it to you…"

"Yes and I declined and referred you. My second choice was Mirage, but she is already on the Defense Council."

"But, I can't, I'm not nearly as strong as you!"

"Ha! You kiddin? You could take the entire universe on. Besides, I think we are going to need your experience. Besides when the time will come, I will step up, but for now, I'm not needed."

"I…thanks Fayt, I appreciate it, I won't let you down."

"Hey hey, I won't let you down…General."

"Haha touché," he replied and looked at him for a while. He suddenly gave him a huge hug and then released him. "You've really grown in a short period of time. I feel as if I'm the younger one now, hehe. Well good luck on your mission commander."

Fayt gave him a short wink and he boarded the entrance ramp. Cliff watched as the ramp closed and he made his way back to the main building of the Staging Area.

Fayt walked through the hallways, the cool steel plating, and the climate control made the interior of the ship very cold. He reached the transporter room and transported to the deck level. He exited the room and made his way up to the command bridge. The door slid open and he saw the two captain chairs at the head of the bridge. Maria was sitting in one of them.

He spotted Nel and Albel on the lower level of the bridge and put a finger to his lips, telling them to keep quiet, as he snuck behind Maria. Fayt popped up from behind the chair and surprised her.

"Fayt! What the..? Where's Cliff."

"Oh, we switched jobs," Fayt said casually. Maria was about to open her mouth, but he stopped her. "Look take my hand."

"Umm what?"

"Just take it!" Maria reluctantly took it, and then she tightly grasped it. They disappeared from the ship and appeared in space, right next to the sun. They were surrounded by a blue bubble.

"Wow, this is beautiful…" Maria said and she was speechless. Fayt looked amusedly at her face and then felt around for the rings in his pocket. He pulled them out, they were both crystal clear crystal gemenite rings that he had made himself.

"Maria, mary me?" he asked as he kneeled down.

Maria couldn't believe it as he saw Fayt down on his knee. "I…don't you think we're rushing things?"

"Believe me Maria, I know what I am getting into, I've asked myself the question a million times, but I know that you are the one I have to be with. And every time I asked myself I was sure, it only confirmed what I already knew. And I think we should really live life on the edge, because we don't know how much longer we will really have peace."

"I, I, what about this, all this?"

"All what? This war I realize we will have to end up fighting? Doesn't that give us more of a reason to get married?"

"I, I uh…YES!!" she exclaimed. Fayt beamed, and put the ring on her finger. As he did, the ring shined bright ethereal blue. It looked like a little star in space. Fayt kissed her deeply and they just lay there, floating in front of the sun.

Suddenly,the _Justice Avenger_, floated past them and Fayt looked up. "Looks like we are needed." Maria nodded and they teleported back into the ship.

"Nice to have you two maggots back," Albel said casually as he got back into his chair.

Fayt smiled and Fayt and Maria sat down in the Captain's chairs. "Navigator plot the course, um exactly where are we going?"

"The mission log has us routed to the Rylar System, Commander."

"Uh huh, alright Pilot power up the gravitic warp."

"Copy sir," the pilot replied.

"Alright everyone get strapped in, Pilot punch it," Fayt said cooly. The engines roared and the conventional space began to turn to gravitic space then, the engines suddenly whimpered and stopped.

"Did you remember to disengage the Gravitic Power Displacer?" Maria asked.

"Um, sorry m'am, erm disengaging Gravitic Power Displacer." Everyone on the bridge sighed and Albel yelled 'fool' at the pilot.

Fayt sighed then resumed, "Alright Pilot engage the warp engine."

"Engaging captain," the pilot replied.

"Hit i-," Fayt started but he was suddenly cut off. Maria stopped him.

"Let me do the honors, if you don't mind hun, hit it!" Maria yelled. Fayt gave her a deadly stare but let it go and everyone on the bridge sniggered. The pilot increased the speed to full and the ship disappeared from the conventional space.

* * *

THE END...

A/N: well thats all for now folks, comments please!!!! Expect a sequel to this not soon tho, i need a break!! I might make a high school fic tho, the the thought has always appealed to me. At any rate, see ya guys!


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